The 
NewCentury 

Bible 


Isaiah 
Vol- 11 


'*     JAN    3  1.910      * 


Divisioa 
Section 


THE   NEW-CENTURY   BIBLE 

*GENESIS,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  W.  H.  Bennett,  Litt.D.,  D.D. 
^EXODUS,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  W.  H.  Bennett,  Litt.D.,  D.D. 
LEVITICUS  AND  NUMBERS,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  A.  R.  S.  Kennedy,  M.A.,  D.D. 
-DEUTERONOMY  AND  JOSHUA,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  H.  Wheeler  Rouinson, 

M.A. 
^JUDGES  AND  RUTH,  by  the  Rev.  G.  W.  Thatcher,  M.A.,  B.D. 
I  AND  II  SAMUEL,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  A.  R.  S.  KENNEcy,  M.A.,  D.D. 
I  AND  II  KINGS,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  Skinner,  D.D. 

I  AND  II  CHRONICLES,  by  the  Rev.  W.  Harvev-Jellie,  M.A.,  B.D, 
EZRA,  NEHEMIAH,  AND  ESTHER,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  T.  Witton  Davies, 
B.A.,  Ph.D. 
*JOB,  by  Prof.  A.  S.  Peake,  M.A.,D.D. 

^PSALMS  (Vol.  I)  I  to  LXXII,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  Davison,  M.A.,  D.D. 
*PSALMS  (Vol.  II)  LXXIII  TO  END,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  T.  Witton  Davies, 

B  A.,  Ph.D. 
*PROVERBS,    ECCLESIASTES,    and     SONG    OF     SOLOMON,     by    the 

Rev.  Prof.  G.  Currie  Martin,  M.A.,  B.D. 
*ISAIAH  I-XXXIX,  by  the  Rev.  OWEN  C.  Whitehouse,  M.A.,  D.D. 
^ISAIAH  XL-LXVI,  by  the  Rev.  OwEN  C.  Whitehouse,  M.A  ,  D.D. 
JEREMIAH  AND  LAMENTATIONS,  by  Prof.  A.  S.  Peake,  M.A.,  D.D. 
*EZEKIEL,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  W.  F.  Lofthouse,  M.A. 
DANIEL,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  R.  H.  Charles,  D.D. 
*MINOR  PROPHETS:  Hosea,  Joel,  Amos,  Obadiah,  Jonah,  Micah,  by  the 

Rev.  R.  F.  HORTON,  M.A.,  D.D. 
^MINOR  PROPHETS:  Nahum,  Habakkuk,  Zephaniah,  Haggai,  Zechariah, 
Malachi,   by  the    Rev.  Canon  Driver,  Litt.D.,D.D. 

*i.  MATTHEW,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  W.  F.  Slater,  M.A. 

*2.  MARK,  by  the  late  Principal  SalmOND,  D.D. 

»3.  LUKE,  by  Principal  W,  F.  Adeney,  M.A.,  D.D. 

*4.  JOHN,  by  the  Rev.  J.  A.  McClymont,  D.D. 

"t^.  ACTS,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  J.  Vernon  Bartlet,  M.A.,  D.D,  ! 

*6.  ROMANS,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  A.  E.  Garvie,  M.A.,  D.D.  I 

*;.  I  and  II  CORINTHIANS,  by  Prof.  J.  Massie,  M.A.,  D.D.  j 

^8.  EPHESIANS,    COLOSSIANS,    PHILEMON,    PHILIPPIANS,    by   the    ' 
Rev.  Prof.  G.  CURRIB  MARTIN,  M.A.,  B.D.  I 

■  Q    I  AND  II  THESSALONIANS,  GALATIANS,  by  Principal  W.  F.  Adenev,    j 

M.A.,  D.D. 
*io.  THE  PASTORAL  EPISTLES,  by  the  Rev.  R.  F.  HoRTON,  M.A.,  D.D. 
*ii.  HEBREWS,  by  Prof.  A.  S.  PeAke,  M.A.,  D.D.  I 

'12.  THE  GENERAL  EPISTLES,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  W.  H.  Bennett,  Litt.D, 

D.D. 
•13.  REVELATION,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  C.  Anderson  Scott,  M.A.,  B.D. 

[Those  marked*  are  already  publishecL'] 


THE  NEW-CENTURY  BIBLE 

VOL.   11 

ISAIAH 

XL— LXVI 

DEUTERO-ISAIAH  :    XL-LV 
TRITO-ISAIAH :    LVI-LXVI 


OXFORD 
HORACE  HART,  PRINTER  TO  THE  UNIVERSITV 


General  Editor  : 
Principal  Walter  F.  Adeney,  M.A.,  D.D. 


jleftiftp 


XL— LXVI 

DEUTERO-ISAIAH  :  XL-LV 
TRITO-ISAIAH  :  LVI-LXVI 

INTRODUCTIONS 

REVISED   VERSION  WITH    NOTES 

INDEX  AND   MAP 

EBITED   IJY   THE   REV. 

OWEN  C.  WHITEHOUSE,  M.A.,  D.D. 


VOL.   II 


NEW*-'YORK:    HENRY  P^ROWDE 

OXFORD   UNIVERSITY    PRESS,    AMERICAN    BRANCH 

EDINBURGH :  T.  C.  &  E.  C.  JACK 


The  Revised  Version  is  printed  by  permission  of  the 
Universities  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge 


CONTENTS 


DEUTERO-ISAIAH  (CHAPTERS  XL-LV) 

PAGE 

Introduction  to  Deutero-Isaiah i 

Text  of  the  -Revised  Version  with  Annotations  .       47 


TRITO-ISAIAH    (LVI-LXVI) 

Introduction  to  Trito-Isaiah 225 

Text  of  the  Revised  Version  with  Annotations          .  241 

Appendix  I.     Chronological  Tables          ....  340 
Appendix  II.    Inscription  on  the  Clay  Cylinder  of  Cj^rus, 

King  of  Persia  (538-529  B.C.) 342 

Additions  and  Corrections 344 

Index 345 

MAP 
Syria,  Assj'ria,  Babylonia,  &c.  ....     at  front. 


VOL.  II 
THE   BOOK   OF  THE   PROPHET 

ISAIAH  (Chapters  XL-LV) 

OR  DEUTERO-ISAIAH 
INTRODUCTION 


ABBREVIATIONS 

O.T.  Old  Testament.     NT.  New  Testament. 

A.V.  Authorized  Version.    R.V.  Revised  Version. 

LXX.  Septuagint.  A.  or  Al.  Alexandrine  codex.  B .  Vatican  cod. 

COT.  Schrader's  Cuneiform  Inscriptions  and  the  Old  Testament, 
translated  from  the  second  edition  of  the  German  Keil- 
inschriften  und  das  alte  Testament^  KAT.^ 

KAT?  The  third  edition  in  German  of  the  above  by  Winckler 
and  Zimmern,  but  an  entirely  new  work  on  a  totally  different 
plan. 

KIB.  Die  Keilinschrijtliche  Bibliothek,  edited  by  Dr.  Schrader, 
vols,  i-vi  consisting  of  transcribed  and  translated  Assyrian 
and  Babylonian  documents. 

ZA  TW.  Zeitschrift  fiir  die  Alttestamentliche  Wissenschq/i. 

SBOT.  Saaed  Books  of  the  Old  Testament,  ed.  Paul  Haupt. 

PRE?  Realencyclopadie  fiir  Protestantische  Theologie  und  Kirche 
(third  edition). 

DB.  Hastings'  Dictionary  of  the  Bible. 

DCG.  Hastings*  Diet,  of  Christ  and  the  Gospels. 

Enc.  BibL  Encyclopaedia  Biblica. 

J.  Yahwistic  writer  in  the  Hexateuch. 

E.  Elohistic  writer  in  the  Hexateuch. 

P.  Priestercodex  or  Postexilian  document  of  the  Pentateuch. 

[S.  .  .  .  ].  Servant  passages  in  the  Deutero- Isaiah.  Other 
bracketed  passages  are  later  insertions  either  by  an  editor 
or  gloss-writer  introduced  into  the  Hebrew  text. 

KJ.  Giesebrecht,  Der  Knecht  Jahves  des  Deiiterojesaia. 

RS2.  Robertson  Smith's  Religion  of  the  Semites,  2nd  ed. 


THE   PROPHECIES    OF    ISAIAH 

(CHAPTERS  XL-LV) 
CALLED  THE  DEUTERO-ISAIAH 

INTRODUCTION 

§   I.  Prologue.    Historic  Antecedents  of  the 
Exile. 

Between  the  close  of  Isaiah's  life  at  the  beginning  of 
the  seventh  century  and  the  exile  of  the  Jewish  population 
in  Babylonia  there  intervene  nearly  the  whole  of  that 
century  and  the  beginning  of  the  sixth— about  a  hundred 
years.  This  interval  may  be  characterized  in  a  single 
sentence.  It  meant  for  the  Jewish  people  the  final 
destruction  of  their  kingdom  and,  in  part,  of  their 
national  hopes  ;  and  it  also  meant  the  purification  of  their 
religious  ideas  and  cultus.  This  last  was  the  permanent 
result  which  the  overwhelming  tides  of  foreign  invasion, 
Scythian,  Egyptian,  and  Babylonian,  left  behind  them. 

Isaiah  of  Jerusalem,  as  we  have  already  noted,  uttered 
a  great  warning  united  to  a  great  hope.  He  warned  the 
nation  that  destructive  judgments  would  overtake  them 
for  their  sins  against  Yahweh — the  sins  of  idolatry,  necro- 
mancy, blind  adherence  to  ceremonial,  and  national  pride 
as  well  as  sins  of  social  injustice  and  drunkenness.  Yet 
he  also  held  out  the  hope  that  a  remnant  of  the  people 
would  repent,  that  these  would  abide  with  God  in  their 
midst  in  Jerusalem,  and  that  the  city  would  be  preserved 
from  destruction.  Finally,  that  a  Messiah  of  Davidic 
lineage  would  arise  and  destroy  the  Assyrian  power  and 
establish  the  reign  of  righteousness  and  peace  in 
Jerusalem. 

To  these  anticipations  the  Jewish  people  clung  in  the  dark 
days  that  awaited  them  near  the  close  of  the  Jewish 
monarchy ;  but  the  warnings  were  not  equally  heeded. 
B  2 


4  ISAIAH 

Isaiah's  prophecy  that  Assj'ria's  power  would  be  over- 
thrown and  that  a  Messiah  would  bring  about  this  result 
was  not  destined  to  be  fulfilled.  The  reforms  of 
Hezekiah's  reign  were  of  such  transient  character  and 
influence  that  soon  scarcely  a  trace  remained-  A  period 
of  religious  reaction  set  in,  and  it  is  to  be  noted  that  this 
religious  decline  synchronizes  with  Judah's  political 
subjection  to  Assyria  during  Manasseh's  long  reign  (687- 
41)  and  the  brief  reign  of  his  son  and  successor  Amon 
(641-39).  Of  this  relation  to  Assyria  we  have  decisive 
evidence  in  the  two  lists  of  tributary  kings  which  closely 
resemble  one  another  belonging  respectively  to  the  reigns 
of  Esar-haddon  and  Asurbanipal,  in  which  the  name  of 
Manasseh  of  Judah  occurs.  See  Schrader,  COT.,  ii,  p.  40 
foil.,  and  cf.  i  Chron.  xxxiii.  I1-13.  That  this  vassalage 
to  Assyria  gravely  prejudiced  the  popular  estimate  of 
Yahweh's  power  and  prestige  can  admit  of  no  doubt. 
From  the  earliest  days  Yahweh  had  been  Israel's  war- 
God,  and  in  the  thoughts  of  the  great  mass  of  the 
Hebrews  this  tradition  still  survived.  In  the  star-worship 
of  Manasseh  (2  Kings  xxi.  3)  we  can  trace  Babylonian 
influence.  On  the  other  hand,  the  revival  of  Yahweh's 
worship  and  the  drastic  reforms  instituted  by  Josiah 
synchronize  with  the  decline  of  Assryian  power,  which 
very  rapidly  set  in  after  the  death  of  Asurbanipal  in 
626  B.  C. 

The  last  quarter  of  the  seventh  century  and  the  open- 
ing of  the  sixth  are  filled  with  the  prophetic  activity  of 
the  most  remarkable  of  Israelite  prophets — Jeremiah.  It 
was  Jeremiah  who  was  destined  to  announce  the  final 
break  of  prophecy  with  nationalism.  Isaiah,  as  we  have 
already  seen,  was  not  entirely  emancipated  from  the  old 
traditions  of  Hebrew  nationalism.  His  contemporary, 
Micah,  was  in  this  respect  more  advanced  (cf.  Mic.  iii. 
12).  According  to  Isaiah  Judah  was  still  the  object  of 
Yahweh's  fatherly  solicitude.  His  personal  power  and 
presence  continued  to  reside  there.     Though  Judah  was 


INTRODUCTION  5 

to  suffer  terrible  chastisements— and  it  almost  seems  from 
Isa.  vi.  1 1  foil,  that  this  involved  complete  destruction — 
yet,  as  we  learn  from  other  passages,  this  was  not  to  be.  A 
purified  remnant  would  survive  all  the  fiery  ordeals,  and 
Yahweh  would  not  suffer  Jerusalem,  His  abode,  to  be 
captured  by  the  foreign  invader.  This  conception  was 
expressed  in  the  significant  name  Iinmanuely  a.  watch- 
word of  comforting  potency  in  the  dark  days  of  the  latter 
half  of  the  eighth  century. 

But  now  even  this  last  vestige  of  national  hope  was  to 
be  extinguished.  The  reformation  in  the  age  of  Josiah, 
out  of  which  the  Deuteronomic  legislation  emerged,  had 
not  wrought  the  cure  for  national  apostasy  that  had  been 
expected.  The  deep  wounds  of  the  nation  were  even 
now  but  lightly  healed  (Jer.  vi.  14,  viii.  11).  Avarice  and 
falsity  beset  all  ranks  of  society,  even  prophet  and  priest. 
It  was  a  delusion  to  talk  of  peace  or  national  well-being, 
for  there  was  none.  Jeremiah  saw  that  the  moral  condi- 
tion of  Israel,  social  and  religious,  was  beyond  remedy. 
After  Josiah  had  come  the  ill-fated  Jehoahaz  (or  Shallum) 
and,  after  a  brief  and  troubled  reign,  his  elder  brother 
Jehoiakim,  the  nominee  of  Pharaoh  Necho.  Judah  had 
now  sunk  lower  than  ever,  and  had  become  the  shuttle- 
cock of  the  rival  powers,  Babylonia  (which  had  succeeded 
to  the  inheritance  of  Assyrian  supremacy)  and  Egypt. 
Once  more,  as  in  the  days  of  Manasseh,  the  prestige  and 
power  of  Yahweh  sank  in  popular  esteem.  The  mass  of 
the  people  had  never  appropriated  the  teachings  of  Amos 
and  Isaiah,  which  lifted  Yahweh  above  the  confines  of 
nationalism  and  made  Him  the  universal  Lord  whose 
nature  and  purpose  were  righteousness  and  whose  world- 
wide rule  was  based  on  justice.  The  true  prophets  of 
Yahweh  interpreted  the  disasters  of  the  past  as  Yahweh's 
chastisements  for  idolatry  and  social  wrong-doing.  But 
the  popular  mind  took  quite  another  view.  There  were, 
in  fact,  two  classes  of  opinion.  Those  who  were  worship- 
pers   of   Yahweh    clung    to    the    belief   which    Isaiah's 


6  ISAIAH 

teaching  appeared  to  sustain,  that  Yahweh  would  never 
permit  Jerusalem  to  be  captured  or  its  temple  destroyed. 
This  view  was  held  by  the  court  and  priestly  party 
sustained  by  the  false  prophets.  Of  these  Hananiah  and 
PaShur  were  typical  leaders.  Even  after  the  capture  of 
Jerusalem  in  597  B.C.  they  held  that  the  evils  from  which 
Judah  sufifered  were  only  transient,  and  that  the  temple, 
which  had  been  left  intact,  would  recover  within  two 
years  the  vessels  which  had  been  carried  away  by  Nebu- 
chadrezzar to  Babylon.  Within  that  short  interval  his 
dominion  would  be  overthrown  (Jer.  xxviii.  2-4). 

In  contrast  with  these  we  have  another  and  a  very 
considerable  section  of  the  population  who  were  open 
idolators,  and  their  numbers  must  have  enormously  in- 
creased when  the  Jerusalem  temple  was  destroyed  and 
Yahweh,  Israel's  national  deity,  seemed  impotent.  The 
idolators  would  then  boldly  assert  that  the  religion  of 
Yahweh  was  played  out.  The  evils  from  which  the  nation 
suffered  they  believed  to  be  due  to  Josiah's  reformation, 
which  had  offended  the  deities  whose  ancient  cults  he  had 
abolished.  A  vivid  chapter  in  Jeremiah  (xliv)  clearly  exhibits 
to  us  these  opposed  theories  of  causation.  It  serves  to 
illustrate  the  conditions  against  which  Jeremiah  waged 
constant  warfare.  On  the  one  hand  we  have  the  doctrine 
of  the  true  Yahweh  prophets  represented  by  Jeremiah,  who 
declared  that  the  disasters  which  had  overtaken  Jeru- 
salem and  had  destroyed  its  temple  took  place  because 
Israel  had  provoked  Yahweh  to  anger  by  burning  incense 
in  the  worship  of  other  gods  (xliv.  3).  On  the  other 
hand  we  have  the  opposed  theory  of  the  exiled  Jewish 
population  in  Egypt,  inspired  chiefly  by  the  women,  that 
the  suppression  of  the  worship  of  Ashtoreth  was  the 
cause  of  all  their  misfortunes  (Jer.  xliv.  17-19).  Now  the 
worship  of  Ashtoreth  was  the  most  widely  diffused  of  all 
the  cults  of  the  Semitic  world  at  that  time.  Not  only  was 
she  worshipped  in  Phoenician  cities,  but  under  the  name 
of  IStar  her  seductive  demoralizing  cult  prevailed  in  the 


INTRODUCTION  7 

cities  of  Assyria  and  Babylonia,  especially  in  the  former 
(in  the  two  cities  Nineveh  and  Arbela\).  She  was  wor- 
shipped in  a  variety  of  aspects,  as  giver  of  increase 
(somewhat  resembling  Venus)  and  goddess  of  love,  as 
war-goddess,  and  as  the  deity  to  whom,  like  the  madonna, 
beautiful  hymns  of  penitence  were  addressed.  Her  cult 
was  far  more  widely  spread  over  the  Semitic  world  than 
that  of  Yahweh,  and  was  probably  more  ancient.  To  the 
ordinary  Jewish  inhabitant  the  arguments  addressed  by 
Rabshakeh  to  the  beleaguered  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem 
(2  Kings  xviii.  22)  must  have  recurred  in  varied  forms  a 
century  later.  And  they  came  with  tenfold  force  after 
the  successive  disasters  of  597  and  586  B.C.  But  after 
586  B.C.  the  destruction  of  Yahweh's  temple  must  have 
meant  to  most  unsophisticated  minds  the  downfall  of 
Yahweh,  Israel's  God.  They  were  altogether  unequal  to 
the  intellectual  effort  of  a  reinterpretation  of  Yahweh's 
nature  and  purpose.  The  vast  extension  of  His  domain 
and  the  moral  elevation  of  His  personality  and  ends, 
which  the  teaching  of  Amos  first  emphasized  and  which 
Isaiah  had  preached,  were  beyond  their  ken.  All  that 
they  were  able  to  apprehend  was  that  the  role  of  Yahweh, 
the  national  war-God  of  Samuel  and  Elisha,  was  at  an 
end.  It  seemed  to  close  in  the  last  tragic  scene  with  the 
blackened  ruins  of  Yahweh's  temple  as  its  background. 

We  can  now  grasp  the  dimensions  of  Jeremiah's  her- 
culean task.  He  had  to  confront  two  parties.  First,  the 
court  party  and  priesthood  supported  by  the  false  prophets 
who  clung  to  the  last  vestige  of  nationalism  and  believed 
that  Yahweh  would  preserve  His  sanctuary  and  would 
save  Jerusalem ;  and  second,  the  increasing  band  of 
idolators  who  believed  that  the  power  of  Yahweh  was 
waning.  The  warfare  against  the  first,  though  bitter  and 
implacable,  was  not  of  long  duration.  Jeremiah  had  to 
bear  for  some  years  the  opprobrium  of  anti-patriotism. 


See  Aburbanlpars  insc.  {Rassam ■  cy]. "^  passt'm. 


8  ISAIAH 

He  boldly  and  passionately  proclaimed  that  the  national 
polity  was  to  be  overthrown.  Since  Jehoiakim  had 
abandoned  the  traditions  of  reform  inaugurated  by 
Josiah,  the  future  was  hopeless.  '  The  harvest  was  past, 
the  summer  ended,  yet  the  people  were  not  saved.'  The 
stern  logic  of  facts  finally  proved  in  586  B.C.  that 
Jeremiah  was  right  and  the  court  party  wrong. 

But  in  the  case  of  idolatry  with  its  worship  of  'other 
gods'  Jeremiah  had  to  cope  with  a  more  persistent  and 
insidious  foe.  Ezekiel  chap,  viii  presents  a  lurid  picture 
of  the  vitality  and  prevalence  of  idolatrous  practices  and 
mystic  rites  in  Jerusalem  during  the  exile.  And  we  shall 
later  have  occasion  to  note  the  renewed  strength  of 
idolatry  among  the  exiled  Jews. 

The  teaching  of  Jeremiah  presupposes  the  final  destruc- 
tion of  the  national  and  local  ties  on  which  Yahweh's 
religion  had  hitherto  rested.  The  Babylonian  invasions 
of  597  and  587  B.C.  shattered  the  national  basis  of 
Hebrew  religion.  Henceforth  it  was  not  to  be  local, 
external,  and  national,  but  it  was  to  be  spiritual,  internal, 
and  personal.  Instead  of  the  religion  of  a  social  and 
traditional  organization  there  was  to  be  the  religion  of 
personality  and  character.  There  was  to  be  a  new 
covenant  with  Israel.  The  terms  of  this  new  covenant 
should  be  carefully  studied  in  Jer.  xxxi.  27-34,  which 
Giesebrecht  and  Cornill  rightly  regard  as  the  genuine 
utterance  of  the  prophet.  The  New  Covenant  implies 
that  Israel  shall  henceforth  be  ruled,  not  by  a  system  of 
external  ordinances,  but  by  a  law  written  in  the  heart,  an 
internal  operative  principle  filling  every  one  with  the 
knowledge  of  (i.e.  loyalty  to)  Yahweh.  Accordingly 
Jeremiah  carried  the  development  of  prophetic  teaching 
one  step  further,  which  was  the  logical  result  of  the 
downfall  of  the  Jewish  state  and  its  national  sanctuary. 
Stress  was  now  laid  on  personality  re-created  by  divine 
grace.  Lastly,  the  prophet  did  not  leave  his  countrymen 
without  hope  of  a  restoration  from  exile.     It   is  indeed 


INTRODUCTION  9 

doubtful  whether  any  prophet  whose  utterances  were 
mere  denunciations  of  evil  and  threatenings  of  disaster 
would  produce  a  permanent  impression.  That  Jeremiah 
foreshadowed  a  restoration  is  clear  from  the  episode 
related  in  chap,  xxxii,  which  records  his  redemption  of 
some  land  which  his  family  had  possessed  in  his  native 
village  of  Anathoth.  This  event  took  place  in  the  midst 
of  the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  occasion  makes  the  act 
still  more  significant  as  an  expression  of  the  prophet's 
faith  in  the  return  of  Israel  from  captivity.  With  this  we 
may  compare  another  passage  of  like  tenor,  viz.  Jer.  xxxi. 
15-17  (cf.  verses  6-9),  which  is  hkewise  the  genuine  utter- 
ance of  the  prophet. 

The  profound  influence  which  the  message  and  life  of 
Jeremiah  exerted  on  his  countrymen,  more  especially  on 
the  exiled  communities  and  their  spiritual  leader,  will  be 
noted  in  the  pages  which  immediately  follow.  Great  as 
this  influence  was,  it  seems  hardly  probable  that  it  would 
have  availed  to  arrest  the  gradual  disintegration  of  the 
Jewish  nationality,  like  that  of  their  Ephraimite  kinsmen, 
and  with  it  the  disappearance  of  the  religion  of  Yahweh  at 
this  momentous  crisis,  if  it  were  not  for  the  co-operation 
of  other  potent  personal  influences  and  the  emergence  of 
a  powerful  historic  factor  which  providentially  intervened 
to  avert  such  a  dire  disaster.  These  we  shall  now 
consider. 

§  2.  The  Exile  Period,  Ezekiel. — the  Author  of 
THE  *  Servant-poems  '  and  the  Deutero-Isaiah. 
It  is  difficult  to  form  an  even  approximate  estimate 
of  the  number  of  Jews  who  were  deported  from  their 
Palestinian  homes  to  Babylonia  during  the  interval 
597-86  B.  c.  The  subject  has  been  carefully  discussed 
by  Meyer  ^  on  the  basis  of  the  notices  in  2  Kings  xxv. 
4  foil.,  II  foil.,  22  ;  Jer.  xxxix.  4  foil.,  7,  9  foil.,  lii.  28  foil., 


EntsiehuHg  des  JttdeJitnms,  pp.  108-14. 


10  ISAIAH 

and  we  should  be  justified  in  assuming  that  over  100,000 
men,  women,  and  children  were  transported  to  Babylonian 
settlements  during  the  eleven  years  referred  to.  Un- 
fortunately for  Palestine,  this  exiled  multitude  consisted  of 
the  most  prosperous  and  energetic  of  the  population,  and 
included  the  artisans  as  well  as  cultivators  of  the  soil 
(cf.  2  Kings  xxiv.  16).  And  this  was  not  by  any  means 
the  entire  loss  in  manhood  which  the  country  sustained. 
There  must  have  been  also  a  considerable  migration  to 
Egypt  (2  Kings  xxv.  26;  Jer.  xliii,  xliv),  as  the  recent 
discoveries  in  Assouan  (Syene)  clearly  piove. 

The  forlorn  condition  of  Judah,  deprived  of  all  but  the 
weakest  and  poorest  of  the  population,  and  possessing  no 
leaders  capable  of  restoring  prosperity  to  the  state,  can  be 
readily  imagined.  The  land  became  in  consequence  an 
easy  prey  to  the  ambitious  designs  of  the  Egyptian  king 
Pharaoh  Hophra  (Apries)  and  of  his  successor  Amasis 
until  a  victorious  campaign  against  the  latter  by  Nebu- 
chadrezzar (568  B.  C.)  put  an  end  to  danger  from  this 
quarter.  Meanwhile  fresh  troubles  arose  within  Palestine 
itself.  The  Edomites,  who  had  already  taken  part  in  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  (Ezek.  xxv.  12,  xxxv.  7,  10; 
Ps.  cxxxvii.  7),  forced  their  way  into  Judah  from  the  South- 
East,  at  this  time  of  depopulation  and  weakness,  and 
established  themselves  in  the  region  of  Hebron. 

Jerusalem  still  remained  the  centre  of  the  depopulated 
region.  Among  the  ruins  left  by  the  invader  modest 
buildings  were  once  more  reared.  Jer.  xli.  5  gives  a 
glimpse  of  the  surviving  religious  life.  There  we  learn 
that  after  the  departure  of  the  Babylonians  offerings  wer:i 
brought  from  Samaria,  Shechem,  and  Shiloh  to  the  spot 
where  the  old  temple  of  Solomon,  now  in  ruins,  stood. 
From  Lam.  i.  4  we  might  infer  that  there  were  stil- 
priests  in  Jerusalem,  and  we  may  assume  that  the  altar  o. 
Yahweh  in  the  temple  enclosure  was  re-erected.  But  the 
darker  obverse  side  of  the  religious  life  of  Judah  is 
presented  in  Ezek.  xxxiii.  25,  and  the  indications  contained 


\   ' 


INTRODUCTION  ii 

in  Jeremiah's  oracles  confirm  the  impression  of  a  wide- 
spread idolatry. 

We  now  turn  to  the  life  of  the  exiles  in  Babylonia. 
Among  the  spots  where  they  settled  v/as  Tel  Abib,  near 
the  river  Kebar,  which  is  identified  as  one  of  the  numer- 
ous canals  of  the  Euphrates  (Ezek.  i.  3,  viii.  i).  In  Ezra 
viii.  15-17  mention  is  also  made  of  the  places  Casiphia 
and  Ahava.  It  is  impossible  to  assert  definitely  whether  the 
exiles  were  scattered  over  the  country  or  lived  in  compact 
settlements.  We  may  infer  from  Ezek.  xiii.  9  and  Ezra 
viii.  17  that  they  maintained  their  ancient  clan  or  family 
descent  carefully  preserved  in  registers.  Accordingly  it 
was  the  heads  of  these  families  (fathers'  houses)  who  were 
the  leaders  of  the  individual  communities  (Ezek.  viii. 
I  foil. ;  Ezra  viii.  i).  These  exiles,  as  we  learn  from 
Jer.  xxvii  foil,  and  Ezek.  xii.  21 — xiii.  23,  had  been 
deluded  by  the  hopes  with  which  false  prophets  and 
soothsayers  had  flattered  them  to  look  for  liberation  from 
evils  and  the  return  to  their  native  land  in  the  near  future 
when  the  yoke  of  Nebuchadrezzar  should  be  broken. 
With  strange  self-gratulation  they  regarded  themselves  as 
the  true  Israel,  and  looked  down  with  self-complacency 
on  those  who  had  remained  behind  in  the  home-land. 
To  a  certain  extent  this  superiority  was  well  founded. 
We  have  already  observed  that  the  best  manhood  of 
Judah  had  been  deported  to  Babylonia,  and  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  the  general  condition  of  these  exiled 
communities  was  superior  to  that  of  their  kinsmen  in 
Palestine.  The  protection  of  the  Babylonian  monarch 
and  the  settled  order  and  government  of  Babylonia 
brought  them  distinct  and  far-reaching  advantages  which 
reacted  on  the  subsequent  development  of  Judaism.  The 
Babylonians  treated  their  war-captives  morehumanely  than 
the  Romans  in  subsequent  days  did.  The  latter  sold  them 
as  slaves,  but  the  Babylonian  conquerors  not  infrequently 
settled  them  as  free   men   within   their  own   borders  ' ; 

'  See  Me3'er,  Eut^teliimg  des  Judeaiupits,  p.  113,  footnote. 


12  ISAIAH 

and,  even  if  they  were  reduced  to  the  status  of  slaves,  their 
position  was  far  more  tolerablethan  it  would  have  been  under 
the  Roman  Empire  in  Italy\  The  tone  of  respect  with 
which  Ezekiel  speaks  of  Nebuchadrezzar  was  well  justified. 
Babylonia  was  a  land  of  industrious  peace  which,  unlike 
Assyria,  flourished  by  agriculture  and  commerce  rather 
than  by  spoliation  and  war.  Jeremiah  had  excellent 
reasons  for  his  wholesome  counsel  to  the  exiled  population  : 
*  Build  houses  and  dwell  in  them,  plant  gardens  and  eat 
their  fruit,  and  seek  the  welfare  of  the  land'^  whither 
I  have  exiled  you '  (Jer.  xxix.  5). 

The  Jews  who  devoted  themselves  to  agriculture  or 
commerce  in  Babylonia  lived  in  a  much  larger  world  than 
their  Palestinian  brethren.  The  latter  probably  gave  up 
their  exiled  compatriots  for  lost  in  much  the  same  way  as 
the  descendants  of  the  deported  Gileadites  and  Naphtalites 
as  well  as  the  Ephraimites  of  Samaria  (in  721  B.C.)  who 
became  absorbed  into  the  population  of  the  surrounding 
districts  in  Assyria  and  Media  (2  Kings  xvii.  6,  cf.  xv.  29). 
Doubtless  the  process  was  slow,  but  it  was  sure,  and,  in  the 
circumstances,  inevitable.  It  is  in  fact  pretty  certain  that 
this  fate  did  overtake  a  considerable  number  of  the  Jews 
who  settled  down  in  the  Euphrates  lands,  lived  pros- 
perously, resigned  themselves  with  contentment  to  their 
lot,  and  placed  themselves  under  the  tulelage  of  the  gods 
of  the  land  whose  temples  adorned  the  chief  cities  of 
Babylonia  of  which  these  were  respectively  the  lords  and 
patrons.  All  this  would  be  expected  of  a  foreign  race 
planted  on  foreign  soil,  inasmuch  as  the  social  life  of  any 
Semitic  land  was  closely  bound  up  with  its  religious  cultus 

^  '  The  slave  had  a  great  amount  of  freedom,  and  was  in  no 
respect  worse  off  than  a  child  or  even  a  wife.  He  could 
acquire  property,  marry  a  free  woman,  engage  in  trade,  and 
act  as  principal  in  contract  with  a  free  man'  (Johns,  Baby- 
ioHian  and  Assyrian  Laws,  &c.,  p.  168).  See  also  art.  *  Servant 
(Slave) '  in  Hastings'  DB.,  pp.  463,  467. 

2  So  read  with  LXX  (followed  by  Giesebrecht,  Duhm,  and 
Cornill). 


INTRODUCTION  13 

and  sacra.  Of  this  we  have  a  vivid  illustration  on 
Palestinian  soil  in  the  case  of  the  deported  Babylonians 
whom  the  King  of  Assyria  had  placed  in  Samaria,  who  at 
once  became  worshippers  of  Yahweh  (2  Kings  xvii.  24  foil.). 
It  was  in  truth  a  very  critical  period  in  the  history  of 
the  Jews  and  their  religion.  The  capture  of  Jerusalem 
in  586  B.C.  and  the  destruction  of  its  temple  must 
have  come  upon  the  exiles  of  597  B.C.  as  a  terrible 
shock,  which  aroused  many  a  patriot  Jew  from  the  vain 
delusive  dreams  of  a  speedy  overthrow  of  Nebuchadrezzar 
and  of  the  restoration  of  the  temple  treasures.  The 
imminent  danger  now  to  the  Palestiniati  Jew  was  that  he 
would  surrender  his  belief  in  the  power  of  Yahweh  and 
lapse  back  into  the  Canaanite  cults  to  which  the  Hebrews 
in  former  centuries  had  been  so  prone  (( f.  2  Kings  xxiii. 
4-20).  As  we  have  already  seen,  this  proved  to  be  the  actual 
result.  The  danger  to  a  Hebrew  in  2l  foreign  country,  which 
was  also  the  land  of  his  conquerors,  was  that  he  would 
worship  the  conqueror's  gods,  the  patrons  and  lords  of  the 
foreign  soil,  who  had,  in  accordance  with  current  Semitic 
ideas,  shown  that  they  were  mightier  than  Yahweh  the 
God  of  the  Jew.  How  serious  this  danger  was  both  in 
the  days  of  Ezekiel  and  later  in  the  time  of  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  is  shown  by  many  indications.  The  prophecies  of /^ 
Ezekiel  sometimes  appear  to  partake  of  the  character  of 
an  apologia  pro  fide  sua.  He  is  at  the  greatest  pains  to 
maintain  the  honour  and  glory  of  Yahweh  in  the  midst  of 
a  gainsaying  generation.  All  the  resources  of  his  eloquence 
and  his  highly-wrought  style,  which  loved  to  express  itself 
in  rich  elaborate  diction  and  in  the  complex,  cumulative 
effects  of  a  luxuriant  imagination,  were  devoted  to  his 
single  great  theme — the  majestic  and  overwhelming  might 
and  glory  of  Yahweh,  the  God  of  Israel.  In  attestation 
of  this  he  sets  forth  the  terrible  chastisements  which  God 
would  inflict  on  all  the  unfaithfulness  and  idolatry  of  Israel 
and  the  vindication  of  His  might  in  Israel's  restoration.^ 

^  Compare  Lofthouse  in  his  introduction  to  Ezekiel  in  this 


14  ISAIAH 

This  restoration  is  portrayed  in  an  elaborated  scheme 
which  occupies  the  last  nine  chapters  of  the  book. 

Ezekiel  is  the  first  among  the  trio  of  great  personalities 
who  belong  to  the  exile  period  and  rescued  the  religion 
of  Yahweh  from  dire  peril  of  utter  extinction  in  this — 
perhaps  the  greatest— crisis  of  Hebrew  history.  We  must, 
therefore,  consider  for  a  few  moments  this  powerful  creative 
genius,  so  many-sided  in  his  gifts,  at  once  prophet,  priest, 
and  far-sighted  statesman. 

In  the  days  of  Ezekiel  the  externalities  of  the  past 
national  life  and  religion  of  Israel  had  been  buried  in 
ashes  and  ruins.  In  exchange  for  these  Jeremiah  had 
led  the  people  to  the  more  permanent  internal  foundations 
of  a  spiritual  renewal.  But  can  a  religion  permanently 
subsist  in  this  world  of  space  and  time  without  some 
external  concrete  embodiment  ?  To  the  Jewish  exile  in 
Babylonia,  unable  to  break  away  from  the  local  traditions 
of  religious  life,  the  ritual  of  sacrifice  so  integral  to  worship 
was  impossible  in  an  alien  land  (cf.  Isa.  xhii.  23  foil,  and 
note).  Ezekiel,  with  the  imaginative  and  at  the  same  time 
practical  genius  of  a  statesman,  took  up  once  more  the 
broken  threads  of  Israel's  religious  traditions  and  wove 
the  strands  anew  into  statelier  and  more  attractive  forms 
of  ritual  and  of  national  polity,  adapted  to  the  new  con- 
ditions of  life  and  thought.  He  was  the  pioneer  in  the 
reconstruction  of  national  life  on  the  basis  of  a  reorganized 
ecclesiastical  system.  This  reconstruction  occupies  the 
closing  nine  chapters  in  the  collection  of  his  prophecies. 
They  differ  entirely  from  the  Deuteronomic  system  of 
legislation.  There,  it  is  true,  we  have  a  theocracy,  but  the 
nation  and  national  institutions  maintain  their  due  place 
in  the  scheme.  But  in  Ezekiel's  constructive  effort  the 
ecclesiastical  dominates  throughout.  In  his  earlier  oracles 
Ezekiel  (xxxiv.  33  foil.)  speaks  of  one  shepherd,  Yahweh's 


series,   pp.   17-19,  and  especially  the  suggestive  remarks  of 
Peake  in  his  Problem  of  Suffering  in  the  O.  T.,  pp.  30-2. 


INTRODUCTION  15 

servant  David,  who  is  to  rule  over  united  Israel.  But  in 
chaps,  xl-xlviii  (572  B.C.)  the  role  of  the  prince  is  a  very 
shadowy  one  and  recedes  into  a  secondary  position.  The 
foreground  is  filled  by  the  temple  and  fts  precincts  and 
the  functions  of  the  officiating  Zadokite  priesthood.  The 
prince,  it  is  true,  has  a  central  domain,  but  his  function  is 
largely  ecclesiastical.  The  theocracy  is  not  a  national 
kingdom  in  the  old  sense.  God  is  to  rule  over  a  church- 
state.  His  universal  power  and  glory  are  not  to  be  mani- 
fested in  a  Jewish  monarch's  kingdom  and  throne,  but  in 
His  own  august  restored  temple  which  is  to  be  the  centre 
of  the  restored  commonwealth.  On  this  the  gaze  of  the 
exiles  was  fixed  by  the  eloquent  idealist.  In  chap,  xliii 
we  have  a  description  of  the  solemn  entry  of  the  God  of 
Israel  through  the  eastern  gate  of  the  temple,  which  is 
filled  with  His  glory.  In  chap,  xlvii  there  is  a  beautiful 
portrayal  of  the  fertilizing  and  healing  stream  which 
issues  out  of  the  sanctuary  and  flows  through  the  land, 
deepening  as  it  flows.  This  concluding  section  of  Ezekiel's 
prophecies,  descriptive  of  the  temple  and  its  ritual,  the 
centre  of  the  restored  Jewish  people,  concludes  with  an 
inspiring  phrase  which  is  the  new  name  bestowed  upon 
the  Holy  City  Jerusalem— F<7/?w^/^  is  there} 

This  is  not  the  place  to  refer  in  detail  to  Ezek.  xxxvii, 
which  prophesies  in  the  symbolic  vision  of  the  dry  bones 
revived  (verses  1-14)  respecting  Israel's  moral  renewal 
and  restoration  ;  and  also,  in  the  symbol  of  the  two  sticks 
united,  respecting  the  unification  of  Judah  and  Ephraim. 
We  have,  lastly,  in  chaps,  xxxviii  and  xxxix  a  portrayal  of 
the  final  victory  of  Yahweh  achieved  on  behalf  of  Israel 
over  Gog  and  all  the  forces  of  heathendom.^  Such  were 
the  ideals  and  hopes  with  which  Ezekiel  strengthened  and 

*  Perhaps  suggested  to  this  literary  prophet  by  Isaiah's 
watchword  Immanuel. 

'  Some  recent  critics  have  doubted  the  genuineness  of  these 
chapters,  but  on  what  do  not  appear  to  the  present  writer  valid 
grounds. 


i6  ISAIAH 

inspired  his  exiled  fellow  countrymen  in  the  early  days  of 
their  foreign  life,  and  strove  to  arrest  the  disintegrating 
forces  to  which  they  were  exposed  amid  the  imposing 
civilization  and  cultus  of  Babylonia. 

Ezekiel,  with  his  powerful  and  attractive  personality 
and  the  singular  fascination  of  his  prophetic  style,  passed 
away  probably  before  the  close  of  Nebuchadrezzar's  reign. 
No  sign  of  deliverance  from  captivity,  which  became 
more  galling  as  the  successive  years  elapsed  ^,  greeted 
the  eager  expectations  of  the  exiled  community,  who  fed 
their  declining  hopes  on  the  oracles  of  departed  prophets. 
It  is  not  in  the  least  surprising  that  as  time  went  on  faith 
began  to  wane.  Hopes  drooped  and  languished,  and  the 
exiled  Jews  in  larger  numbers  yielded  themselves  to  the 
seductions  of  Babylonian  cults.  The  logic  of  facts  seemed 
to  demonstrate  that  Marduk  and  Nebo  were  more  power- 
ful than  Yahweh.  How  serious  this  menace  to  the  Jew's 
allegiance  to  Yahweh  became  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
exile  period  is  clearly  revealed  in  numerous  passages  of 
the  Deutero-Isaiah,  who  is  constantly  at  the  pains  of 
emphasizing  the  undisputed  and  sole  pre-eminence  of 
Yahweh  and  the  utter  impotence  of  foreign  deities,  on 
whose  images  (with  their  image-makers)  he  pours  the 
bitterest  scorn.  Let  the  reader  take  note  of  the  passages 
xl.  12-17,  21-31  ;  xli.  4,  5  ;  xliii.  9-13  ;  alsoxl.  19,  20  ;  xli. 
6,  7,  28,  29  ;  xliv.  8-22,  24-6;  xlvi.  i-io. 

Now  the  writings  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  were  composed 
near  the  close  of  the  exile-period,  when  the  ascendant  star 
of  the  Persian  conqueror  Cyrus  attracted  the  attention  of 
this  prophet  whose  oracles  are  our  subject  of  study. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  advent  of  Cyrus  came  at 
the  crucial  point  of  the  struggle  between  the  Yahweh 
religion  of  the  Hebrew  prophets  and  the  polytheism  of 

'  We  can  clearly  infer  this  from  the  contrasted  attitude  of 
the  prophets  Jeremiah  (xxix.  5-7,  xxviii.  14,  xxxviii.  3,  17) 
and  Ezekiel  (xxvi.  7-1 1,  xxix,  18-20)  towards  Babylonia  and 
its  ruler  and  that  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  (xlvii.  6  foil.). 


INTRODUCTION  17 

Babylonia  and  Canaan.  In  the  centuries  subsequent  to 
the  reign  of  Cyrus  Persia  was  destined  to  wield  a  great, 
mysterious,  and  by  us  hitherto  inadequately  explored 
influence  over  Hebrew  religion,  especially  in  the  ultimate 
realms  of  evil  and  evil  powers,  of  angels  and  eschatology. 
But  these  subjects  lie  beyond  our  province.  It  is  sufficient 
to  say  that  the  prophecies  of  restoration,  which  had  been 
first  uttered  by  Jeremiah  and  afterwards  developed  by 
Ezekiel,  were  now  definitely  linked  by  the  Deutero-Isaiah 
with  the  personality  of  the  Persian  conqueror  whom  he 
designates  as  the  anointed  servant  of  Yahweh.  Yahweh, 
the  supreme  Lord  of  the  World,  had  destined  Cyrus  to 
work  out  His  own  divine  purpose  of  restoration  for  His 
cherished  and  beloved  people  Israel. 

We  cast  our  gaze  back  over  the  critical  period  of  a  quarter 
of  a  century  that  intervened  between  the  close  of  Ezekiel's 
ministry  and  the  prophecies  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah.  What 
happened  in  this  interval  ?  Nothing  happened  to  better 
Israel's  external  lot  and  bring  hope  to  the  exile.  In  the 
earlier  days  the  glowing  pictures  of  a  revived  and  re- 
united people,  ruled  over  by  a  prince  of  David's  line 
(Ezek.  xxxvii),  had  directed  the  earnest  faith  and  ex- 
pectation of  the  Jews  to  the  dawn  of  a  happier  day  of 
freedom  which  they  believed  would  soon  approach.  But, 
as  the  years  passed  by,  there  was  no  sign  of  approaching 
light.  Even  the  growing  power  of  Media  afforded  no 
consolation  to  the  captive.  The  years  565  to  550  B.C. 
must  have  been  a  period  of  midnight  darkness  to  the  Jew. 
The  power  of  Babylonia  still  remained  unbroken,  and  the 
pious  Jewish  exile  would  often  ask 

<  Hath  God  forgotten  to  be  gracious  ? 
Will  Yahweh  cast  off  for  ever, 
And  be  favourable  no  more  ? ' 

At  this  crisis  of  Israel's  despair  there  arose  a  seer  who 
spoke  in  the  midnight  darkness  words,  some  of  which 
have  been  preserved  to  us  by  an  ardent  disciple,  the 


i8  ISAIAH 

Deutero-Isaiah,  who  incorporated  his  utterances  among 
his  own.  We  only  possess  these  utterances  in  the  four  so- 
called  *  Servant-poems,'  viz.  Isa.  xhi.  1-4,  xlix.  1-6,  1.  4-9, 
lii.  13— liii.  12. 

The  last  of  these,  which  is  the  longest,  is  also  the  most 
notable  and  impressive,  and  it  has  exercised  the  pro- 
foundest  influence  over  Jewish  as  well  as  Christian  thought. 

All  critics  are  agreed  as  to  the  distinctive  character  of 
these  poems,  but  respecting  (a)  the  meaning  which  is  to 
be  attached  to  the  term  '  Servant  of  Yahvveh,'  which  is  the 
subject  with  which  these  poems  deal,  and  (d)  the  author- 
ship and  date  of  the  poems,  the  widest  difference  of 
opinion  prevails.  The  literature  on  the  subject  is  so 
extensive  that  it  is  impossible  to  deal  with  all  the  varieties 
of  opinion  and  all  the  debated  points.  Some  of  these  will 
be  found  discussed  in  the  commentary.  We  confine  our- 
selves to  the  main  issues  and  to  the  results  which  the 
present  writer  regards  as  most  probable. 

(a)  We  begin  with  the  question  :  What  is  meant  by  the 
term  *  Servant  of  Yahweh  '  ?  Let  it  be  clearly  understood 
that  the  traditional  Christian  opinion  that  the  servant 
here  is  simply  the  prophetic  portrayal  of  Jesus  Christ, 
who  died  for  the  world's  sins,  is  an  untenable  view,  as 
untenable  as  the  identification  of  the  *  young  woman' 
(called  'virgin'  on  the  basis  of  LXX)  in  Isa.  vii.  14  with 
the  mother  of  Jesus.  The  special  mode  of  interpretation 
of  the  O.  T.  out  of  which  such  interpretations  arose  will 
be  found  by  the  reader  explained  in  the  introductory 
remarks  to  chap.  liii.  Modern  scholars  are  agreed  in 
holding  that  the  mediaeval  Jewish  interpreters  were  on 
the  right  path  in  maintaining  that  the  suffering  servant  in 
these  passages  is  a^personification  of  the  suffering  Jewish 
community.*  What  is  this  suffering  community  ?  Was  it 
the  entire  Jewish  race,  or  was  it  the  pious  exiles  only,  still 
faithful  to  Yahweh,  who  maintained  themselves  in  seclusion 
from  the  idolatrous  worship,  magical  practices  and  social 
institutions  of  the  Babylonians  as  well  as  from  the  society 


INTRODUCTION  19 

of  the  degenerate  fellow  exiles  around  them,  and  thereby 
incurred  the  persecution  and  hatred  which  has  been  the 
bitter  lot  of  Jewish  populations  in  Europe  even  now  ?  In 
the  following  pages  and  in  the  commentary  we  shall 
endeavour  to  show  that  this  latter  is  the  true  interpretation 
of  the  expression  *  Servant  of  Yahweh.' 

When  we  turn  to  the  oracles  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  we 
find  in  them  the  same  expression  '  Servant  of  Yahweh  * 
(or,  when  Yahweh  is  the  speaker,  *  My  servant ')  con- 
stantly recurring.  According  to  the  view  upheld  in  these 
pages,  this  expression  was  borrowed  by  the  author  from 
his  revered  predecessor,  the  author  of  the  four  Servant- 
poems.  On  the  other  hand,  critics,  like  Budde,  Giese- 
brecht,  Marti,  Cornill  and  others,  hold  in  opposition  to 
Duhm  that  both  in  Deutero-Isaiah  and  in  the  Servant- 
poems  this  personification  has  the  same  meaning.  It 
merely  designates  the  race  Israel,  and  on  this  ground,  as 
well  as  on  that  of  the  close  parallels  in  language,  it  is 
argued  that  the  author  of  the  Servant-poems  was  the 
Deutero-Isaiah  himself. 

Duhm,  on  the  other  hand,  holds  the  opposite  view  in 
an  extreme  and,  in  our  opinion,  untenable  form.  He  is 
right,  however,  in  maintaining  that  a  contrast  is  clearly 
marked  between  the  conception  of  the  '  Servant '  in  these 
four  poems  and  that  which  meets  us  in  the  Deutero- 
Isaianic  passages.  In  the  Deutero-Isaiah  the  '  Servant ' 
represents  the  entire  Jewish  race  called  *  Israel.'  He 
is  represented  as  a  prisoner  plundered,  despised  and 
a  worm  (xlii.  18-24),  and  also  by  no  means  as  an  ideal 
personage,  for  he  is  blind,  deaf,  and  full  of  sin,  though 
chosen  by  God's  gracious  purpose,  protected  by  His  might, 
and  destined  for  a  glorious  future.  But  in  the  Servant- 
poems  the  Servant  is  a  more  exalted  personality,  though 
a  victim  of  dire  persecution.  He  is  pure  and  innocent, 
is  Yahweh's  disciple,  chosen  by  Him  to  minister  to  the 
heathen  world  and  to  carry  the  light  of  divine  truth  to 
all  nations.  His  sufferings  and  death  are  an  atonement 
c  2 


20  ISAIAH 

for  the  guilt  of  Gentile  nations  as  well  as  for  that  of  his 
own  race  (xlix.  6,  liii). 

{b)  We  now  come  to  consider  the  question  of  the 
authorship  and  date  of  the  Servant-poems.  Duhm 
correctly  observes  that  the  Servant-poems  may,  at  any 
rate  in  most  cases,  be  detached  from  the  contiguous 
matter  without  serious  detriment  to  the  continuity  of 
thought.  This  clearly  indicates  that  they  were  insertions. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  can  be  shown  that  the  context  in 
some  cases  is  affected  by  their  presence.  Take  the  case 
of  the  first  Servant-poem  (xlii.  1-4)  :  verses  6  foil,  are 
obviously  connected  in  thought  with  the  majestic  passage 
that  precedes.  And  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  verses 
that  immediately  follow  another  Servant-poem,  viz.  xlix. 
1-6.  Likewise  lii.  10,  which  precedes  the  final  Servant- 
poem,  certainly  seems  to  prepare  the  mind  of  the  reader 
for  the  final  Servant-poem,  lii.  13— liii.  12,  which  should 
probably  be  regarded  as  a  final  judgment-scene  in  which 
the  Gentiles  are  summoned  to  bear  witness  to  the  moral 
purity  and  exaltation  of  the  Suffering  Servant.  On  these 
points  the  reader  will  consult  the  following  commentary. 
Now  all  these  links  of  connexion  are  important,  as  they 
are  fatal  to  Duhm's  theory  (which  we  hold  to  be  untenable 
on  other  grounds),  that  the  Servant-passages  were  com- 
posed in  post-exilian  times,  written,  in  fact,  after  the  Book 
of  Job,  since  the  leprosy  with  which  the  martyred  servant 
is  afflicted  may  be  regarded  as  a  borrowed  trait.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  ideal  of  the  priestly  tribe  of  Levi 
contained  in  Mai.  ii.  5-7  is  held  by  Duhm  to  have  been 
moulded  by  the  reminiscence  of  the  character  of  the 
Suffering  Servant  in  Isa.  liii.  There  is  no  cogency  what- 
ever in  these  arguments.  The  traits  of  the  Book  of  Job 
may  with  quite  as  good,  if  not  better,  reason  be  regarded 
as  the  reflexion  of  Isa.  liii  rather  than  vice  versa.  Both 
deal  with  the  problem  of  suffering,  but  the  point  of  view 
is  different.  As  for  Mai.  ii.  5-7,  the  connexion  is  far  too 
slight  to  base  any  argument  upon  it.    Moreover,  if  we 


INTRODUCTION  21 

transfer  the  growth  of  the  conception  of  the  Suffering 
Martyr-servant  into  the  post-exiHan  period  536-450  B.  c. 
we  are  coming  within  the  time  out  of  which  arose  the 
writings  of  Haggai,Zech.  i-viii,  Malachi  and  lastly  the  Trito- 
Isaiah,  a  period  when  ecclesiastical  ideas  begin  to  assume 
importance  and  the  spirit  of  legalism  and  of  Jewish 
particularism  were  growing.  Of  all  these  tendencies  the 
Servant-poems  exhibit  not  the  faintest  trace.  In  fact 
their  spirit  is  the  exact  negation  of  them.  The  post- 
exilian  period  was  uncongenial  soil  for  the  growth  of  the 
Servant-poems. 

Accordingly  we  are  led  back  to  an  earlier  time  to  which 
the  internal  relations  subsisting  between  the  Servant- 
poems  and  the  Deutero-Isaiah  decisively  point.  The 
writer  lived  and  wrote  between  565  and  550  B.C.,  i.e. 
before  the  ascendant  star  of  Cyrus  aroused  the  dying 
hopes  of  Israel.  It  was  the  midnight  darkness  of  the 
Jewish  race.  The  minds  of  the  still  faithful  and  pious 
community  were  harassed  by  the  problems  of  the  national 
misfortunes  in  the  past  and  their  own  present  sufferings. 
Where  was  the  fulfilment  of  the  Divine  promise  that  in 
Abraham  and  his  seed  all  families  of  the  earth  would 
regard  themselves  as  blessed  %  his  name  being  taken  as 
the  type  and  symbol  of  one  whom  God  has  greatly 
prospered?  Why  was  Israel,  God's  chosen  people,  so 
severely  chastised  ?  Surely  the  sins  of  the  people  had 
received  adequate  retribution.     Was  Israel  exceptionally 


'  Gen.  xii.  3  can  only  be  interpreted  in  the  light  of  the 
parallels  xxii.  18,  xxvi.  4,  where  the  Hithpael  or  reflexive 
form  is  used.  The  expression  '  shall  bless  themselves  in  thee 
(or  thy  posterity) '  means  any  one  of  any  race  shall  call  himself 
happy  'as  Abraham,'  w^hom  God  hath  so  greatly  blessed;  of. 
Gen.  xlviii.  20,  where  Jacob  says  to  his  grandsons  :  '  In  thee 
shall  Israel  bless,  saying,  "  God  make  thee  as  Ephraim  and  as 
Manasseh."'  For  the  obverse  example  of  'cursing'  cf,  Jer. 
xxix.  22  (so  Dillmann,  Holzinger,  and  Gunkel).  The  traditional 
interpretation  based  on  LXX,  Vulg.,  &c.,  must  be  rejected. 
See  Bennett's  Genesis  (in  this  series)  on  this  passage. 


22  ISAIAH 

guilty  above  all  other  races  of  mankind  that  the  strokes  of 
adversity  and  humiliation  should  fall  upon  him  so  heavily? 
Why  should  Yahweh  allow  His  own  devoted  and  faithful 
followers  to  languish  in  ignominy  and  persecution  without 
hope  of  better  days  ?  Would  the  better  days  ever  come  ? 
Or  had  Israel  no  place  or  function  in  the  future  of  the 
world?  It  was  the  task  of  the  writer  to  attempt  an 
answer  to  the  troubled  heart  of  Israel. 

It  was  the  problem  of  suffering  once  more  definitely 
presented  for  solution.  Israel's  calamities  had  already 
been  interpreted  by  the  earlier  prophets  from  Amos  to 
Jeremiah  as  Yahweh's  chastisements  inflicted  for  Israel's 
past  disloyalty.  But  a  new  solution  was  needed.  It  was 
this  ever-recurring  mystery  of  pain  that  the  prophet  seeks 
once  more  to  solve  to  the  harassed  faith  and  the  perplexed 
conscience  of  the  still  faithful  exiled  community,  torn  with 
doubts  and  fears  as  to  the  future  of  themselves  and  their 
religion.  The  solution  is  attempted  from  a  wholly  different 
standpoint,  and  to  our  modern  thought,  unfamiliar  as  it 
is  with  the  ritual  and  underlying  conceptions  of  sacrifice, 
it  seems  that  the  writer  pursues  a  strange  path — the 
mysterious  path  of  QtO-ti^ment.  For  the  first  time  perhaps 
in  the  world's  history  an  altruistic  ideal  of  life  is  set  forth 
of  the  highest  and  purest  type  as  a  solution  of  the  great 
enigma  of  pain.  We  are  well  accustomed  to  the  solution 
of  suffering  as  discipline.  But  discipline  may  be  desti- 
tute of  any  high  moral  value.  It  may  be  for  my  own 
personal  advancement  rather  than  for  my  neighbour's 
good.  The  thought  of  this  Hebrew  poet  took  a  loftier 
flight.  It  was  the  sublime  conception  that  Israel  was 
exiled  in  Babylonia  that  he  might,  as  God's  servant,  carry 
the  light  of  God's  saving  truth  to  all  the  nations  of  the 
world  that  was  destined  to  serve  as  the  anodyne  to  the 
pious  exiles'  sorrow  and  perplexity.  The  main  theme  of 
the  poet's  message  is  to  be  found  in  xlix,  6.  Here  we  see 
that  the  restoration  of  exiled  Israel,  first  prophesied  by 
Jeremiah  and  set  fortli  with  characteristic  elaboration  and 


INTRODUCTION  23 

artistic  detail  by  Ezekiel  (xl-xlviii),  still  remained  the 
cherished  hope  of  this  poet.  But  its  fulfilment  seemed 
a  long  way  off,  how  long  no  man  could  conjecture,  for  no 
sign  of  dawn  was  visible.  But  Israel's  restoration  was 
not  the  main  function  of  Yahweh's  Servant.  It  was  in 
truth  secondary.     A  higher  task  awaited  him  : 

'To  establish  Jacob's  tribes, 
To  restore  the  scattered^  of  Israel, 
Is  task  too  slight  for  My  Servant. 
Yea,  I  will  make  thee  a  light  to  the  Gentiles, 
That  My  salvation  may  extend  to  earth's  bound.' 

The  writer  had  evidently  drunk  deep  from  the  wells  of 
Jeremiah  rather  than  from  those  of  Ezekiel.  Such  chapters 
as  Ezek.  xxxviii,  xxxix  were  wholly  alien  to  his  modes  of 
thought.  He  had  pondered  deeply  over  the  great  oracle 
of  the  New  Covenant  (Jer.  xxxi.  31),  and  it  was  the 
spiritually  purified  and  inwardly  renovated  community — 
now  probably  represented  by  a  small  remnant  of  the 
exiles — who  endeavoured  to  keep  faith  and  hope  alive, 
and  suffered  scorn  and  persecution,  that  was  destined  to 
execute  this,  the  highest  mandate  that  any  people  can 
perform,  the  service  of  mankind. 

The  passage  just  quoted  clearly  shows  that  the  poet 
drew  a  distinction  between  Israel  in  the  widest  sense 
(including  all  the  Jews  of  Palestine  as  well  as  the  Dia- 
spora) and  the  pious  and  faithful  band  of  the  followers  of 
true  prophecy  living  in  Babylonia.  This  distinction 
meets  us  again  in  the  last  poem  of  the  series,  viz.  in  liii.  8, 
where  the  Servant  stands  opposed  to  his  own  generation, 
i.  e.  the  contemporary  Jews,  the  '  people '  to  whom  the 
latter  part  of  the  verse  refers  as  failing  to  realize  that  the 
sufferings  of  the  Servant  were  an  atonement  for  their 
own  sins.^ 

^  So  we  should  read  on  the  basis  of  the  LXX. 
2  It  is  not  possible  to  deal  at  length  with  the  controversy 
respecting  both  these  passages  and  Giesebrecht's  expedients 


24  ISAIAH 

The  poet  regards  this  society  of  Yahweh's  true  believers 
as  the  nucleus  of  a  redeemed  people.  These  are  the  true, 
genuine  Israel,  though  they  be  now  but  a  remnant  and 
a  ininority.  Probably  the  early  oracles  of  Isaiah  of 
Jerusalem,  delivered  nearly  two  centuries  before,  were 
recalled  by  him,  together  with  the  significant  and  pro- 
phetic name,  Shear-yashubh,  bestowed  upon  Isaiah's  son. 
The  writer  quite  naturally  passes  from  the  nucleus  of  the 
future  redeemed  Israel  to  the  larger  Israel  which  it  was 
to  restore  and  rally  round  itself  and  which  it  in  a  true 
sense  represented.  The  ancient  Orient  was  not  bound 
by  the  severe  logical  restrictions  of  consistency  which  are 
the  recognized  necessity  of  our  modern  Western  thought. 
Hence  it  is  not  in  the  least  surprising  that  an  Oriental 
poet  should  in  the  exuberance  of  his  faith  call  the  Servant 
of  Yahweh  *  Israel,  in  whom  God  is  to  receive  glory.' 
r^'Tlie  character  and  work  of  the  Servant  are  gradually 
\unfolded  in  each  successive  poem.  His  gentle  modesty, 
his  tender  regard  for  others,  and  his  unfaltering  pursuit  of 
righteousness  are  recorded  (xlii.  3)  in  the  first  poem.  In 
the  second  we  learn  something  of  his  world-wide  prophetic 
mission.  In  the  thh'd  we  hear  for  the  first  time  of  the 
bitter  scorn  and  contumely  through  which  God's  Servant 
is  comj)elled  to  pass  and  the  steadfast  faith  wherewith  he 
patiently  endures  it  all,  confident  that  God  is  near  him 
and  will  vindicate  him  in  His  own  good  time  against  his 
adversaries  (1.  6-9).* 

in  support  of  his  theory  which  identifies  the  Servant  of  these 
passages  with  empiric  Israel.  The  reader  is  referred  to  the 
commentary  on  xlix.  6,  where  Giesebrecht  succeeds  by  elimina- 
tion of  a  clause  in  verse  5  and  the  excision  (suggested  in  this 
instance  by  Duhm")  of  another  clause  in  verse  6,  in  securing 
a  text  more  favourable  to  his  theory. 

^  From  the  expression  'my  vindicator  (justifier)  is  near' 
(verse  8)  we  have  no  right  to  infer,  as  Giesebrecht  does  (K.  J., 
p.  47),  that  the  deliverance  was  to  be  immediate.  The  passage 
is  the  vivid  expression  of  confidence  that  Yahweh  is  near  to 
His  Servant  in  these  times  of  distress,  and  will  one  day  trium- 
phantly vindicate  His  Servant's  claims  and  woith. 


INTRODUCTION  25 

The  vindication  of  the  Suffering  Servant  is  described  in 
the  fourth  or  fi7ial  poem,  which  is  considerably  longer 
and  unsurpassed  in  its  pathos  and  power.  Unfortunately 
it  has  been  marred  in  its  transmission  by  evident  signs  of 
textual  corruption  in  the  closing  verses.  Its  character  is 
best  described  by  calling  it  a  final  judgment-scene. 
The  Gentiles  for  whose  salvation  the  Servant  has  been 
destined,  and  for  whom  he  has  laboured  and  suffered,  are 
now  summoned  by  Yahweh  to  bear  their  testimony  before 
His  august  tribunal.  Yahweh  is  the  first  speaker.  The 
triumph  of  the  Servant  is  consummated  at  last,  and 
Yahweh  Himself  declares  that  the  final  exaltation  is 
commensurate  with  the  depth  of  the  previous  anguish  and 
humiliation.  And  yet  the  final  glory  is  spiritual  only. 
It  would  be  an  error  to  press  the  concluding  words  of 
this  poem  as  a  prophecy  of  material  greatness.  The 
language  is  that  of  Oriental  metaphor.  We  move  in 
a  great  spiritual  world,  and  the  earthly  dimensions  shrink 
and  vanish.  The  poet  who  sings  in  the  midnight  dark- 
ness gazes  into  the  infinite  realms  of  the  midnight  sky. 
And  thus  we  see  no  longer  Jerusalem  and  its  walls,  so 
prominent  in  the  thoughts  and  utterances  of  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah.  Even  the  temple  has  vanished.  For  all  that  is 
local  and  national  has  passed  away,  purged  out  by  the 
fires  of  sorrov/.  The  writer  belongs  to  the  spiritual 
lineage  of  Jeremiah  and  not  of  Ezekiel.  We  dwell  no 
more  within  the  confines  of  Israel's  world,  but  in  the  larger 
realm  of  humanity  and  God.  This  is  made  clear  by  the 
verses  that  follow  (chap.  liii). 

After  the  address  of  Yahweh,  Gentiles  are  summoned  to 
bear  their  testimony.  They  declare  that  what  they  have 
heard  is  almost  beyond  credence.  We  now  learn  for  the 
first  time  that  the  Servant  has  suffered  a  martyr's  death 
which  was  an  atonement  for  the  sins  of  the  Gentiles  as 
well  as  of  Israel.  In  the  concluding  verses,  which  exhibit 
too  evident  signs  of  textual  defect,  Yahweh  once  more 
speaks    (verses    11,    12)   and    confirms    what    has    been 


26  ISAIAH 

uttered  by  the  Gentile  spokesman.  The  martyr-people 
shall  be  perpetuated  in  their  posterity.  They  shall  attain 
to  high  dignity  and  privilege  among  the  great  and  strong. 
We  here  reach  the  furthest  development  as  well  as 
highest  point  of  Hebrew  prophecy  as  it  extends  from 
Amos  through  Isaiah  to  Jeremiah  and  the  poet  of  these 
four  remarkable  fragments.  It  is  probable  that  the  last 
died  in  the  land  of  exile.  He  may  indeed  have  been 
conscious  of  his  own  approaching  death  when  he  wrote  the 
lines  (liii.  8,  9) : — 

'  By  oppression  and  judgment  he  was  carried  oft, 

And  among  his  generation  who  would  reflect 

That  he  was  cut  off  from  the  land  of  the  living, 

On  account  of  the  transgression  of  his  people  was  he  smitten 

to  death. 
And  one  appointed  with  the  wicked  his  grave 
And  with  evildoers^  his  sepulchre.' 

We  may  reasonably  suppose  (with  Duhm)  that  the 
pathetic  figure  of  Jeremiah  persecuted  and  imprisoned 
(Jer.  xxxviii)  was  also  present  to  the  mind  of  the  poet  ^. 

The  relation  of  those  Servant-poems  to  their  context 
clearly  reveal  the  profound  impression  produced  by  their 
author  upon   at   least    one   younger  contemporary,   the 

^  So  we  should  probably  read  the  amended  text :  see  com- 
mentary. 

2  The  writer  has  not  sought  to  make  this  Introduction  a  fulh'- 
stocked  museum  of  hypotheses  both  possible  and  impossible. 
No  reference  is  made  to  Sellin's  view  (concurred  in  by 
Winckler)  that  the  Suffering  Servant  is  to  be  identified  with 
Zerubbabel,  a  theory  which  he  subsequently  abandoned  in 
favour  of  another  which  identified  him  with  the  exiled  king 
Jehoiachin  ;  both  equally  improbable.  The  reader  is  referred 
to  Cheyne's  article  on  the  Book  of  Isaiah  in  Enc.  Bibl.,  who 
emphatically  (col.  2205)  denies  that  the  Deutero- Isaiah  was 
the  author  of  the  Servant  Songs.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
present  writer  altogether  disagrees  with  his  opinion  that  the 
inserter  and  editor  cannot  be  identified  with  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah,  and  that  to  this  later  editor  xlii.  5-7,  xlix.  7-9**  are  to  be 
ascribed.     See  tlie  notes  on  these  passages. 


INTRODUCTION  27 

Deutero-Isaiah.  That  this  latter  was  one  of  the  elder 
poet's  reverent  disciples  is  fairly  evident.  The  phrases 
and  ideas  which  the  elder  poet  employed  recur  in  the 
oracles  of  the  younger— notably  the  phrase  *  Servant  of 
Yahweh'  (or  in  the  utterances  of  YahVeh  'My  servant'). 
This  expression,  however,  as  we  have  already  observed, 
is  consistently  used  in  a  wider  and  less  ethical  sense  by 
the  Deutero-Isaiah  so  as  to  include  the  whole  of  Israel 
with  all  their  vices  as  well  as  their  virtues.  It  would 
obviously  be  contrary  to  all  correct  ritual  traditions  for 
one  so  defective  as  a  blind  and  deaf  servant  to  be  offered 
up  as  an  atonement  (Deut.  xv.  21  ;  Lev.  xxii.  22-4  ;  cf.  xxi. 
16-21  ;  Mai.  i.  7,  8).  Respecting  the  defects  of  the 
Servant  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah,  cf.  Isa.  xlii.  18,  19  ;  xliii. 
25  ;  xliv.  22.  Here  we  observe  the  wide  interval  that 
separates  the  earlier  from  the  later  prophet.  That  a 
reverent  disciple,  who  often  pondered  over  the  words  of  his 
great  master,  should  repeat  his  phraseology  with  certain 
variations,  such  as  '  my  justification  (vindication)  is  nigh,* 
li.  5  (cf.  1.  8),  is  the  natural  if  not  inevitable  consequence 
of  the  close  personal  relation  of  master  and  disciple.^ 

On  the  other  hand,  when  we  live  and  move  in  the 
atmosphere  of  the  younger  prophet's  thought,  it  will 
be  found  that  we  have  descended  to  a  lower  level,  though 
we  are  still  in  the  high  uplands.  The  restoration  of  the 
exiles  and  the  rebuilding  of  the  Jerusalem  walls  and 
temple,  to  which  no  reference  is  made  by  the  earlier  poet, 

^  With  xlix.  6  comp.  xlii.  6,  7.  A  list  of  the  phrases  may 
be  found  in  Giesebrecht's  A"./.,  pp.  128-31  ;  xlix.  7  as  a  parallel 
to  xlv.  14  should,  however,  be  excluded,  since  xlix.  7  is 
Deutero-Isaianic  and  is  foreign  to  the  ideas  of  the  earlier  poet ; 
liii.  12  a  should  certainly  not  be  pressed  into  any  comparison 
with  xlv.  ir.  There  is  not  the  faintest  suggestion  that  the 
strong  are  to  serve  or  be  subject  to  the  Suffering  Servant. 
Duhm  rightly  observes  : — 'The  meaning  is  that  God's  Sen^ant 
will  stand  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  mighty  ones  of  the 
earth,  although  himself  no  mighty  one  nor  king  of  royal 
blood.'     This  is  manifest  in  the  closing  lines  of  verse  12. 


28  ISAIAH 

became  a  vivid  and  dominating  conception  in  the  later, 
when  the  advance  of  Cyrus  was  threatening  Babylon  and 
the  deliverance  of  the  exiles  came  nearer  to  realization 
(xl.  2-4,  9;  xlvi.  13;  li.  3,  17;  Hi.  I,  2,  7-9,  and  in 
reference  to  rebuilding,  xliv.  26,  28;  xlv.  13;  xlix.  16; 
liv.  II,  12).  It  is  quite  true  that  the  universal  ideal  of 
Israel  as  God's  Servant,  destined  to  bring  the  light  of 
His  saving  truth  to  the  Gentiles,  was  a  cherished  convic- 
tion which  the  disciple  had  learned  from  his  master 
(cf.  xlii.  6  with  xlii.  4  and  xlix.  6),  but  with  the  earlier 
poet  it  was  the  dominating  conception  in  all  his  poems, 
while  in  the  later  it  has  become  secondary.  The  thought 
of  the  later  poet  chiefly  revolves  round  the  ideas  of 
Yahweh's  universal  and  invincible  sovereignty  and  power 
and  His  unabated  love  for  His  people  Israel  —qualities 
which  will  find  their  triumphant  manifestation  in  the 
return  of  the  exiles  and  in  the  restoration  of  Jerusalem 
and  its  temple.  On  these  themes  all  the  resources 
of  his  majestic  diction  are  expended.  We  note,  how- 
ever, the  decline  of  the  high  ethical  spirit  of  altruism  so 
characteristic  of  the  earlier  poet.  We  hear  of  Israel's 
sufferings,  but  no  longer  of  Israel  or  an  elect  portion 
thereof  as  bearing  the  burden  of  the  world's  guilt. 
Mankind  falls  into  the  background.  The  Gentiles  are 
accessories  in  the  drama,  whose  duty  is  to  minister  to 
Israel's  glory.  They  also  render  homage  to  Yahweh,  but 
it  is  rather  the  Yahweh  of  Israel  than  of  mankind.  Cyrus 
is  to  conquer  Egypt,  Ethiopia,  and  Sabaea  and  make  their 
captive  inhabitants  slaves  to  the  Jews.  The  wealth  of 
Egypt  and  the  gain  of  Ethiopia  are  to  swell  the  triumph 
of  Israel's  restored  power  and  dignity  (xlv.  14).  Gentiles 
are  to  perform  the  menial  task  of  carrying  the  Hebrew 
exiles  back  to  their  own  land.  Foreign  kings  and  queens 
are  to  bow  down  to  Israel  and  lick  the  dust.  The  previous 
relation  of  Israel  to  Gentile  races,  viz.  of  vassal  to  superior 
lords,  is  now  to  be  reversed  (xlix.  22,  23  ;  cf.  li.  22,  23). 
Another  point  of  contrast  between  the  earlier  and  the 


INTRODUCTION  ^^ 

later  poet  is  the  evident  influence  of  Ezekiel  over  the 
latter  1.  In  Ezek.  xliv.  6-lo  the  introduction  of  an 
uncircumcised  foreigner  into  the  sanctuary  of  the  future 
commonwealth  of  Israel  is  strictly  prohibited.  The 
influence  of  these  ideas  respecting  holiness  and  unclean- 
ness  is  evident  in  Isa.  lii.  i,  when  it  is  said  respecting 
Jerusalem  the  holy  city,  '  There  shall  no  more  come  unto 
thee  the  uncircumcised  and  the  unclean.'  Cf.  lii.  ii. 
Even  the  faint  trace  of  Messianic  expectation  connected 
with  the  line  of  David  (probably  Zerubbabel)  visible  in 
Iv,  3,  4  seems  to  have  been  derived  from  Ezek.  xxxiv. 
23-3IJ  rather  than  from  Jer.  xxiii.  5,  6.  Cf.  also  Isa.  liv. 
1 1  f.  and  note. 

Thus  the  contents  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  exhibit  a 
remarkable  blending  of  the  highest  spiritual  and  ethical 
ideas,  which  had  been  derived  from  the  teaching  of 
Jeremiah  as  well  as  from  the  elder  contemporary,  the  poet 
of  the  four  Servant-passages,  combined  with  other 
conceptions  belonging  to  the  lower  plane  of  nationalism. 
The  latter  were  evidently  stimulated  by  the  advent  of 
Cyrus.  That  event  awakened  in  the  later  poet  those 
glowing  anticipations  whereby  he  sought  to  rouse  the 
declining  religious  life  and  hopes  of  his  fellow  countrymen. 

§  3.  Chaps,  xl-xlviii  and  xlix-lv.  Place  of 
Writing  and  Style  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah. 
It  will  not  be  necessary  to  restate  here  the  grounds  for 
the  almost  universally  accepted  belief  of  Old  Testament 
scholars  that  chaps,  xl-lxvi  originated  from  quite  another 
source  or  rather  sources  than  Isaiah  of  Jerusalem.  The 
authors  of  those  chapters  evidently  lived  in  wholly  different 
historic  environments  from  that  which  surrounded  the 
prophet  who  uttered  his  oracles  in  the  days  of  Ahaz  and 
Hezekiah.     Ever  since  the    time  of  Rosenmiiller  2,  the 

^  Duhm's  assertion  (Commentary,  2nd  ed.,  p.  380)  that  the 
Deutero-Isaiah  was  wholly  unacquainted  with  Ezekiel  is  there- 
fore unwarranted. 

^  The    criticism   which    separated   the    last    twenty-seven 


30  ISAIAH 

author  of  the  Scholia  in  Veins  I'esiamentum,  nearly 
a  century  ago,  an  ever-increasing  band  of  scholars  have 
perceived  that  no  satisfactory  interpretation  of  chaps,  xl- 
Iv  is  possible  unless  we  assume  that  Jerusalem  was  in 
ruins,  its  temple  destroyed,  and  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  Judaean  population  had  been  deported  into  exile  in 
Babylonia.  On  the  foundation  of  these  presuppositions 
all  the  allusions  of  these  chapters  become  clear  and 
intelligible.  Seventy  years  ago  Gesenius  placed  the 
accumulated  evidence  of  style  and  contents  in  masterly 
and  convincing  array  in  his  commentary  on  Isaiah. 
Further  investigations  have  not  in  any  degree  diminished 
the  cogency  of  his  arguments,  though  the  analysis  of  the 
last  twenty-seven  chapters  has  been  carried  much  further 
and  with  varying  results.  Since  the  death  of  Gesenius 
all  the  wonderful  results  of  cuneiform  discovery  hitherto 
attained  have  shed  a  wonderful  light  on  the  history  and 
civilization  as  well  as  the  religion  of  the  new  Babylonian 
empire.  We  are  now  in  possession  of  the  records  of 
Nabonidus  and  Cyrus,  who  reigned  at  the  very  time  when 
Isa.  xl-lv  were  com.posed.  But  these  important  results  of 
archaeology  have  only  served  to  illumine  and  confirm 
what  the  more  advanced  critics  of  the  earlier  half  of  the 
nineteenth  century  had  already  put  forth  as  the  result  of 
their  investigations.  During  the  last  twenty  years,  it  is 
true,  we  have  attained  still  further  results,  mainly  through 
the  researches  of  Cheyne  in  England  and  of  Duhm  in 
Germany.  It  is  now  generally  recognized  that  chaps.  Ivi- 
Ixvi  form  a  group  which  stands  quite  separate  and  belongs 
to  a  later,  post-exilian  period  (Trito-Isaiah).  This  last 
group  of  chapters  is  therefore  treated  separately. 

But  respecting  chaps,  xl-lv  there  have  been  considerable 

chapters  and  assigned  them  to  a  later  authorship  of  course 
goes  back  to  a  still  earlier  date,  viz.  the  latter  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  when  Koppe  added  his  own  contribution 
to  the  German  translation  of  Lowth's  commentary.  Koppe 
was  soon  after  followed  by  Eichhorn,  the  teacher  of  Ewald. 


INTRODUCTION  31 

differences  of  opinion.  Tlie  main  point  of  divergence  has 
been  the  question  of  the  unity  of  authorship  of  both  the 
groups  of  chaps,  xl-xlviii  and  xlix-lv.  With  reference  to 
xl-xlviii,  which  herald  the  advent  of  Cyrus,  critical  opinion 
has  been  fairly  uniform  in  assigning  them  to  a  writer  ^ 
who  lived  in  Babylonia  and  indited  these  prophecies  at 
some  date  between  555  and  538  B.C.  (i.  e.  from  the  time 
when  Cyrus  began  his  conquering  career  to  his  capture  of 
Babylon),  most  probably  between  545  (capture  of  Sardis) 
and  538.  On  the  other  hand,  some  critics  have  hesitated 
to  assign  chaps,  xlix  to  Iv  to  the  same  author  as  that  of 
the  preceding  section.  Among  these  Kosters,  who  held 
that  there  was  virtually  no  return  of  the  exiles  to  Jerusalem 
in  536  B.C.,  referred  xlix.  12-26,  li.  1-16,  and  lii.  17 — lii. 
13,  liv  foil.,  to  a  distinct  writer  from  the  author  of  chaps, 
xl-xlviii.  The  former  lived  not  in  Babylonia  but  in 
Palestine.  Kosters  based  his  view  on  grounds  of  style, 
such  as  the  use  of  the  expression  *  holy  city  '  in  lii.  i.  But 
the  apparent  specialities  of  phraseology  on  which  Kosters 
relies  are  certainly  outweighed  by  the  resemblances  to 
the  Deutero-Isaianic  diction  of  xl-xlviii.  Moreover,  as 
Cheyne  points  out  {E?tcycL Bibl.,^  lsB.\3.h'  (Book) col. 2204), 
the  tone  of  optimistic  idealism  displayed  in  these  passages 
would  hardly  be  possible  for  a  resident  in  Jerusalem  in 
the  days  of  Haggai  and  Zechariah. 

Accordingly  we  have  well-assured  grounds  for  holding 
that  xl-lv  were  almost  entirely  composed  by  one  hand. 
In  what  place  were  they  written.^  Duhm  appears  to 
suggest  Phoenicia,  but  the  grounds  seem  exceedingly  weak. 
Nor  has  Ewald's  view,  that  they  were  composed  in  Egypt, 
much  to  commend  it.'     On  the  other  hand,  the  evidences 


^  When  v/e  speak  here  of  unity  of  authorship,  it  must  be 
understood  that  v^e  except  the  •  Servant  passages '  as  well  as 
occasional  interpolations. 

2  Ewald  {Propheten-,  III,  pp.  12,  30)  holds  that  Isa.  xiii. 
2 — xiv.  23  as  well  as  xxi.  i-io  were  composed  in  Babylonia, 
but  that  xl-lxvi  (excepting  Ivi.  9 — Ivii,  which  Ewald  assigns  to 


:^2  ISAIAH 

which  point  to  Babylonia  as  the  place  of  authorship  for 
chaps,  xl-lv  are  exceedingly  strong  and  may  be  enumer- 
ated as  follows : — 

1.  The  victorious  progress  of  Cyrus  would  be  noted  in 
Babylonia  owing  to  its  geographical  position  and  water- 
ways far  more  quickly  than  in  Canaan,  and  still  more 
would  this  argument  apply  if  Egypt  comes  into  com- 
parison. 

2.  The  scenery  in  xli.  i8  (where  we  should  probably 
translate  'water-channels'  rather  than  'water-springs'  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  Babylonian  use  of  the  same  expression^) 
and  xliv.  4  is  characteristic  of  Babylonia  and  its  irrigation, 
while  the  specific  reference  to  trees  in  xli.  19  reminds  us 
of  the  parks  consisting  of  varied  trees  in  which  Babylonian 
and  Assyrian  monarchs  delighted,  and  which  were  in 
many  cases  brought  from  the  lands  which  they  had  con- 
quered.^   Cf.  li.  3. 

3.  Kittel  in  1898  called  attention  ^  to  the  remarkable 
parallels  in  phraseology  between  the  language  of  Isa.  xliv. 
27 — xlv.  1-3  and  that  of  the  Cyrus-cylinder  (see  Com- 
mentary, ad  loc),  which  appears  to  indicate  that  the 
Hebrew  writer  was  familiar  with  the  court-style  current 
in  Babylonia.  This  only  a  residence  in  the  country  would 
have  enabled  him  to  know. 

4.  The  references  to  ritual  in  xliii.  23,  24,  where 
'  frankincense '  and  '  sweet  cane '  are  mentioned,  are 
derived  from  the  elaborate  worship  of  Babylonia.  See 
Commentary  on  the  passage. 

5.  The  references  to  magic  and  astrology  in  xlvii.  9, 


the  time  of  Manasseh),  were  composed  in  Egypt,  on  the 
ground  of  xli.  9,  xliii.  3,  xlv.  13  foil.,  xlvi.  11.  It  is  enough  to 
say  that  these  passages  furnish  a  very  insufficient  support  for 
his  theory. 

*  See  the  note  by  the  present  writer  in  Schrader,  COT.,  ii, 
pp.  311-13- 

^  See  art.  '  Garden '  in  Encycl.  Bibl. 

■'  ZATIV.,  1898,  Heft  1,  p.  189  foil. 


INTRODUCTION  33 

12,  13  are  as  vivid  and  definite  as  those  of  Ezek.  xiii.  17- 
23.  Both  evidently  indicate  that  the  writers  were  in 
close  contact  as  eyewitnesses  with  the  practice  of  Baby- 
Ionian  magic.  The  researches  of  King,  Tallquist,  and 
Zimmern  into  the  cuneiform  documents  have  given  us 
a  clearer  insight  into  the  incantation  rituals  of  Babylonian 
sorcery. 

6.  We  have  no  mention  of  Canaanite  deities,  not  even 
of  Baal  and  Ashtoreth,  but  only  of  the  two  chief  deities 
of  Babylonia,  viz.  Bel{a.n  epithet  of  Mardnk  or  Merodach^, 
the  god  of  light  and  tutelary  deity  of  Babylon)  and  Nebo 
(xlvi.  i).  Both  names  are  significant.  For  there  are 
certain  parallels  between  the  Hebrew  Yahweh  and  the 
Babylonian  Marduk,  while  Nebo  (Babylonian  Nabii)  was 
a  god  who  was  widely  worshipped  in  Babylonia.  His 
name  enters  into  the  names  of  the  first  two  and  last 
(viz.  Nabonidus  =  Nabunaiid)  Babylonian  monarchsof  the 
New  Empire.  The  god  Nabd  was  the  bearerof  the  tablets  of 
destiny,  yet  he  did  not  know,  as  Yahweh  did,  of  the  advent 
of  the  victorious  Cyrus  (xH.  22,  23,  25,  26,  xliii.  9,  xliv. 
25  foil.,  xlvi.  9-1 1). 

7.  Contact  with  Babylonian  mythological  ideas  is 
strongly  suggested  by  the  lyric  passage  Isa.  li.  9,  10. 
Rahab,  the  monster  whom  Yahweh  is  said  to  have  *  hewn 
in  pieces,'  bears  a  close  analogy  to  the  dragon-goddess  of 
the  deep,  Tidinat  of  the  Babylonian  Creation  Epic.  The 
conflict  waged  against  her  and  the  god  Kingu  (with  other 
allies)  by  the  god  of  light,  Marduk,  is  described  at  length 
in  the  fourth  tablet  of  the  Creation-Series,  lines  85-145. 
After  the  slaughter  of  Tiamat  by  Marduk,  we  read  in 
lines  137  foil,  that 

'  He  hewed  her  to  pieces  like  a  fish,  a  flat  one  (?^,  in  two  halves 
Out  of  her  one  half  he  made  and  covered  the  heaven.' 

^  Zimmern,  in  KATJ\  pp.  356,  374,  395  foil. 

2  The  reader  is  referred  to  the  article  '  Cosmogony '  in 
Hastings'  DB.,  vol.  i,  pp.  504-6.  On  p.  505  a  concise 
summary  of  the  Babylonian  Creation  Story  will  be  found,  and 


34  ISAIAH 

It  is  of  course  true  that  we  have  possible  traces  of  the 
existence  of  this  myth  among  the  Hebrews  in  pre-exilian 
days.  It  may  well  have  existed  in  Canaan  in  very  early 
times,  i.  e.  before  1400  b.  c,  when  the  Babylonian  language 
and  civilization  were  widespread  along  the  Palestinian 
littoral,  and  thus  came  to  influence  the  early  Hebrew  in- 
habitants. All  -this  is  suggested  by  the  Tell-el-Amarna 
tablets  (about  1400  B.  c),  as  well  as  by  the  close  parallels 
between  the  opening  chapters  in  Gen.  i-ix  and  the  legends 
contained  in  the  cuneiform  records.  At  the  same  time 
there  is  no  passage  where  the  reference  to  the  conflict  of 
Marduk  and  Tiamat  is  so  clear  and  vivid  as  in  Isa.  li.  9, 
10  (Pss.  Ixxxvii.  4  and  Ixxxix.  10,  11  are  evident  echoes 
from  this  passage  in  the  Deutero- Isaiah).  This  fact  is 
significant,  and  can  hardly  be  explained  except  by  the 
close  contact  of  the  writer  with  Babylonia,  the  source 
whence  the  legend  sprang. 

8.  The  influence  of  the  Babylonian  language  on  that 
of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  is  indicated  by  the  expression  'take 
hold  of  the  hand'  (xli.  13,  xlv.  i)  and  the  rare  Hebrew 
word  for  '  bowl '  in  li.  17, 22  which  is  apparently  a  borrowed 
Babylonian  word  {kabu'tu).  In  later  days  this  loan-word 
appeared  to  Hebrew  readers  so  strange  that  copyists 
inserted  the  ordinary  Hebrew  word  for  drinking-bowl  or 
cup  {kos)  as  an  explanatory  gloss. 

These  eight  grounds  for  concluding  that  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  composed  his  oracles  in  Babylonia  might  be  supple- 
mented by  others  of  a  negative  character,  viz.  the  absence 
of  any  allusion  to  Canaanite  cults,  towns,  or  populations 
(e.  g.  Philistines,  Ammon,  Moab).  Some  of  these  grounds, 
taken  individually,  might  be  considered  not  to  carry  much 
weight,  but  taken  together  they  have  great  cumulative 
force. 

We  now  come  to  the  consideration  of  the  characteristic 


passages  in  the  pre-exilian  O.  T.  which  contain  references  to 
the  dragon  of  the  Chaos-depth  are  cited. 


INTRODUCTION  35 

style  of  the  Deutero- Isaiah.  This  we  can  only  indicate 
so  far  as  it  appears  in  the  English  version.  The  many 
specialities  of  Hebrew  terms  and  phraseology  cannot  be 
exhibited  in  a  work  such  as  this.  They  are  fully  set  forth 
in  Cheyne's  magnwn  opus,  the  '  Introduction  to  Isaiah,' 
pp.  250-70,  and  in  briefer  and  more  condensed  form  in 
Dillmann-Kittel's  Commentary,  p.  349  foil.  It  is,  however, 
easily  possible  to  set  forth  before  the  English  reader 
many  features  of  style  characteristic  of  the  Deutero- Isaiah 
which  appear  in  an  English  rendering.  Among  these  may 
be  cited — (l)  The  tendency  to  reduplicate  the  phrase,  e.  g. 
'  Comfort  ye,  Comfort  ye '  (xl.  i) ;  M,  even  I '  (xliii.  1 1,  25, 
xlviii.  15,  li.  12) ;  'Awake,  Awake'  (li. 9,  17,  lii.  l);  *  Depart 
ye'  (lii.  il).  (2)  The  introduction  of  divine  utterances 
by  a  series  of  descriptive  clauses  setting  forth  God's 
attributes  commencing  with  '  Thus  saith  Yahweh '  (xlii. 

5,  xliii.  I,  14,  16-19,  xliv.  6,  24,  xlv.  18).  (3)  Certain 
recurring  formulae,  e.g.  'Fear  not,  for'  (xli.  10,  13  foil., 
xlii.  I,  5,  xlv.  2,  liv.  4) ;  'I,  the  first  and  last '  (xli.  4,  xliv. 

6,  xlviii.  2) ;  *  I,  Yahweh  and  none  else  '  (xlv.  5  foil.,  18,  22, 
xlvi.  9).  (4)  The  combination  of  the  divine  name  with 
the  following  epithets :— '  Creator '  (xliii.  i) ; '  Stretcher  out 
of  the  heavens'  (xl.  22) ;  '  Fashioner  of  Israel '  (xliii.  i) ; 
'  Redeemer'  (xliii.  14,  xliv.  24^,  xlviii.  ija,  xlix.  7,  liv.  8). 
(5)  Other  expressions  such  as  '  Lift  up  thy  eyes  above ' 
(xl.  26,  xlix.  18,  li.  6— also  in  Ix.  4).  '  Things  to  come  '  = 
the  future  {othiyyoth),  xli.  23,  xliv.  7,  xlv.  11.  (6)  Lastly, 
we  note  the  tendency  to  accumulate  descriptive  clauses, 
xl.  22-3,  xliv.  24-6,  xlvi.  3  ;  in  reference  to  Israel,  xli. 
8,  9,  xlvi.  3,  xlviii.  I,  xlix.  7  ;  in  reference  to  Cyrus,  xlv.  i  ^ 


'  For  a  fuller  list  of  contrasts  between  the  special  diction 
of  Isaiah  and  Deutero-Isaiah  the  reader  is  also  referred  to 
Prof.  Driver's  useful  handbook  Isaiah,  His  Life  and  Tiities, 
and  ed.  (1904),  pub.  Francis  Griffiths.  This  writer,  however, 
does  not  draw  the  distinction  between  Deutero-Isaiah  and 
Trito-Isaiah  established  by  recent  criticism  (Duhm,  Cheyne, 
Marti),  and    fully  recognized   in   this   volume.     Some   of  the 

D   2 


36  ISAIAH 

In  general  it  may  be  said  that  the  diction  of  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  is  rich  and  full,  and  though  the  style  may  be 
considered  as  distinctly  rhetorical  in  form,  it  possesses 
great  dignity  and  impressiveness. 

§  4.  Theological  Conceptions  of  the 
Deutero-Isaiah. 

(a)  On  God.  Respecting  the  character  and  sovereignty 
of  God  the  Deutero- Isaiah's  conceptions  were  framed  on 
those  of  the  eighth-century  prophets  Amos,  Hosea,  and 
Isaiah,  but  are  expressed  in  language  of  fuller  compass. 
Like  Amos  he  portrays  Yahweh  as  the  creator  of  the 
material  universe  (cf.  Amos  v.  8 ;  ix.  6^)  in  numerous 
passages  of  great  sublimity  (xl.  22,  26;  xlv.  12,  18).  All 
other  objects  in  the  universe,  even  individuals  and  nations, 
shrink  into  utter  insignificance  compared  to  Him  (xl. 
15-17,  22).  Both  His  power  and  His  mind  are  infinite 
(xl.  28),  and  this  power  He  will  bestow  on  the  weak 
(verse  29).  All  else  is  transitory  while  He  abides  eternal 
and  His  word  is  as  eternal  as  Himself  (verses  7,  8)  and  is 
ever  potent  (Iv.  10,  11).  His  power  over  nature  is 
constantly  emphasized  so  that  He  can  effect  whatever 
transformations  He  will  (xl.  4,  xli.  18,  19,  xlii.  15,  xliv.  27, 
28,  li.  10).  He  is  also  Lord  of  all  time  as  well  as  of 
space,  the  First  and  the  Last  (xl'i.  4,  xliv.  6,  xlviii.  2). 


characteristic  phraseology  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  is  also  found 
in  the  Trito- Isaiah.  It  should  be  noted,  however,  that  not 
one  of  these  special  characteristics  of  Detitero-Isaianic  style  which 
are  noted  above  is  to  be  found  in  the  four  Servant-poems. 

^  These  verses,  resembling  others  which  assert  Yahweh's 
cosmic  supremacy  and  also  His  lordship  over  human  destiny 
(of  foreign  nations  as  well  as  Israel,  ix.  7),  are  rejected  by 
Wellhausen,  Nowack,  and  recently  Harper,  chiefly  because 
they  appear  to  break  the  sequence  of  thought.  The  grounds 
hardly  appear  adequate  for  the  excision  of  this  passage  from 
the  genuine  utterances  of  Amos,  though  the  style  may  partially 
resemble  that  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah.  and  some  features  remind 
us  of  the  Book  of  Job. 


INTRODUCTION  37 

Hence  all  events  as  they  occur,  such  as  the  victorious 
career  of  Cyrus,  are  known  to  Yahweh,  the  omniscient 
Lord  of  Time,  before  any  other  knew  it  (xli.  26,  xlii.  9). 
Cyrus  was  predestined  for  his  victorious  career  by 
Yahweh  long  before  Cyrus  knew  what  was  to  await  him 
(xlv.  6,  7).  Thus  while  Yahweh  communicates  the 
knowledge  of  future  events  to  His  own  messengers,  He 
makes  the  soothsayers  mad  and  frustrates  their  tokens 
(xliv.  25,  26). 

Both  righteousness  and  holiness  are  predicated  by  the 
Deutero- Isaiah  of  Yahweh.  With  regard  to  holiness  the 
conception  is  essentially  ethical  and  does  not  differ  from 
the  use  of  the  term  in  the  eighth  century  prophet  (see 
especially  chap,  vi,  and  note  on  the  word)  from  whom 
the  Deutero-Isaiah  borrowed  the  term,  '  Holy  One  of 
Israel'.  But  as  G.  A.  Smith  (art.  Isaiah  in  Hastings' 
BD.^  i,  p.  496)  clearly  shows,  the  conception  of  righteous- 
ness and  righteous  {sedakah,  Scdek,  saddtk)  as  applied  to 
Yahweh  had  undergone  a  change  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah 
corresponding  to  the  change  of  conditions.  In  the  eighth 
century  righteousness  implied  the  purity  and  justice 
of  God's  nature  which  demanded  corresponding  qualities 
in  the  conduct  of  His  people  in  an  age  of  terrible  moral 
and  religious  declension.  The  Deutero-Isaiah,  living 
among  his  exiled  fellow  countrymen  in  Babylonia,  was 
confronted  by  different  conditions.  Prof.  Smith  truly  says 
that  the  moral  problem  of  the  sixth  century  (550-38  B.  c.) 
was  concerning  '  God's  poiver  and  ivill  to  fulfil  His  word 
and  redeem  Israel'  Righteousness  includes,  therefore,  the 
idea  involved  in  the  Hebrew  emelh,  viz.  faithfulness,  con- 
sistency with  His  promises.  Cf.  xli.  2,  26,  xlv.  13  and  note. 
That  this  was  the  prevailing  conception  in  the  mind  of  the 
Deutero-Isaiah  does  not  exclude  the  fact  that  the  word 
is  also  used  in  other  senses  (see  xlv.  S,  and  note).  On 
this  large  subject  of  the  use  of  the  term  Righteousness 
(i.e.  the  Heb.  s-d-k  and  its  derivations)  in  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah,   see  Skinners  full   note  in   his   commentary  on 


38  ISAIAH 

Isaiah  (xl-lxvi)  in  the  '  Cambridge  Bible  for  Scliools  and 
Colleges '  (Appendix,  Note  ii,  p.  238  foil.). 

With  reference  to  the  monotheistic  conceptions  of 
Yahwehy  it  may  be  said  that  the  Deutero-Isaiah  closely 
approximates  an  absolute  monotheism,  but  does  not 
actually  reach  it.  Absolute  monotheism  was  obtained 
more  slowly  than  most  readers  of  the  O.  T.  imagine. 
It  is  true  that  an  unrivalled  and  indeed  utterly  incom- 
parable pre-eminence  is  assigned  to  Yahweh  in  His 
sovereignty  and  omnipotence  both  in  time  and  space. 
It  is  also  true  that  the  gods  of  polytheism  are  spoken  of 
as  utter  nothingness  and  vanity  and  utterly  impotent 
(xlvi.  7,  cf.  xliv.  9  foil.).  But  this  does  not  prove  that  the 
deities  of  foreign  nations  were  regarded  as  non-existent. 
Chap.  xli.  21-3  show  that  this  can  hardly  have  been  the 
case  (see  the  notes  on  these  verses).  In  the  subsequent 
evolution  of  Jewish  religion  we  find  the  gods  of  heathen- 
dom transformed  into  demons. 

(b)  Israel.  The  relation  of  Yahweh  to  Israel,  called 
by  the  Deutero-Isaiah  His  Se?'vant,  brings  out  in 
strongest  relief  the  ethical  character  of  God.  Though 
the  stern  discipline  of  sufifering  and  exile,  through  which 
the  nation  has  passed,  might  seem  to  suggest  that  Israel, 
the  bride  of  Yahweh, — a  conception  familiar  to  a  Semite 
and  employed  with  remarkable  power  by  Hosea — had 
been  abandoned  by  Yahweh,  yet  this  is  the  absolute 
reverse  of  the  truth.  Yahweh  is  Israel's  Redeemer 
(xliii  I,  14,  xliv.  22,  24,  xlviii.  17,  xlix.  7,  liv.  8).  Israel  is 
Yahweh's  own  (xliii.  i).  In  the  midst  of  the  nation's 
deepest  tribulation  Yahweh  will  ever  be  near  His  people 
to  save  them  from  destruction  (xliii.  i,  2).  Jerusalem, 
Israel's  depopulated  city,  can  no  more  be  forgotten  by 
Yahweh  than  a  child  by  his  own  mother  (xlix.  14,  15). 
Israel  shall  be  gently  led  as  a  flock  by  its  shepherd,  the 
weak  and  faint  gathered  in  Yahweh's  arm  and  carried  in 
His  bosom  (xl.  11).  Forgiveness  is  the  natural  expression 
of  such  lo\'e,  and  it  is  granted  freely,  though  in  the  past 


INTRODUCTION  39 

Yahvveh  has  been  '  wearied  '  with  Israel's  iniquity :  '  I  am 
He  that  blotteth  out  thy  transgressions  for  my  own  sake,' 
i.  e.  the  ground  of  forgiveness  is  to  be  found  in  Yahweh's 
love  to  Israel. 

Respecting  Israel's  great  function  as  Servant  of  Yahweh 
to  bring  the  knowledge  of  His  truth  to  other  races  we 
have  already  spoken.  In  the  writer  of  the  '  Servant- 
poems  '  this  conception  is  fundamental,  but  in  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  it  is  not  so  prominent.     Cf,  above  §  2,  pp.  18-26. 

(c)  Eschatology.  It  cannot  be  said  that  the  horizons  of 
the  Deutero- Isaiah's  anticipation  lie  far  removed  from 
the  present.  The  consummation  of  all  his  yearnings  and 
hopes  lay  in  the  immediate  future.  All  Israel's  sorrows 
were  soon  to  cease.  The  hardships  of  the  past  were  at 
an  end,  and  all  the  sins  of  the  older  time  were  more  than 
atoned  for  (xl.  2).  The  bow  was  in  the  cloud,  and  the 
'  waters  of  Noah  '  should  flood  the  world  no  more  (liv.  9). 
Messianic  ideas  revive  which  since  the  days  of  Ezekiel 
had  slumbered.  The  ideal  of  Yahweh's  Suffering  Servant 
had  for  a  time  taken  their  place,  but  in  what  we  might 
perhaps  regard  as  the  Deutero-Isaiah's  closing  utterance 
(chap.  Iv)  he  recurs  to  the  old  Isaianic  conception  of  the 
ideal  Davidic  ruler  of  Jesse's  almost  worn-out  stock 
(xi.  1-9).  Zerubbabel  of  the  ancient  Davidic  line  was 
evidently  in  his  mind  as  the  '  prince  and  commander  of 
peoples,'  the  leader  of  the  restored  commonwealth.  Thus 
the  future  anticipations  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  naturally 
lead  us  to  the  Messianic  utterance  of  Haggai  (ii.  22). 

§  5.  Epilogue.  Deutero-Isaianic  Echoes  in  later 
Hebrew  Literature — The  Leaven  of  the 
'Servant- POEMS.'     Christ   and   Christianity 

their    ULTIMATE   FULFILMENT. 

The  universalism  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  reverberates  in 
subsequent  literature.  We  shall  frequently  have  occasion 
to  refer,  in  commenting  upon  the  Trite- Isaiah,  to   the 


40  ISAIAH 

manifest  influence  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  upon  its  diction 
and  ideas,  especially  in  chapters  Ix-lxii.  The  great 
conceptions  respecting  Yahweh  which  find  expression  in 
Isa.  xl  frequently  recur  in  the  Psalms.  The  note  of 
universalism  so  powerfully  struck  by  the  Deutero-Isaiah 
re-echoes  in  the  religious  songs  of  Judaism.  Cf.  Ps.  ii.  1 1 
(lo  Heb.);  xxi.  27,  28  (28-29  Heb.);  xlvii.  i,  7-9  (2,  8- 
10  Heb.)  ;  Ixvi.  1-8;  Ixvii.  7  (S  Heb.),  Ixxxii.  i,  8  ;  Ixxxvi. 
9,  10;  cii.  15-28  (16-29  Heb.).  The  last  is  a  conspicuous 
example  of  Deutero-Isaianic  universalism.  Similarly 
with  reference  to  [phrase  as  well  as  idea,  Ps.  cvii.  35 
(cf.  Isa.  xli.  18). 

But  our  interest  is  chiefly  directed  to  the  high  ethical 
ideals  expressed  in  the  Servant-poems.  How  far  did  the 
Jewish  nation  in  the  future  respond  to  the  high  calling  of 
the  race  expressed  in  Isa.  xlix.  6,  *  I  will  appoint  thee  as 
a  light  to  the  Gentiles  '  ?  The  verdict  of  history  has  been 
that  the  influence  of  this  great  conception  of  Israel  as 
God's  missionary  race  was  only  partial  and  fluctuating. 
It  had  to  contend  with  that  spirit  of  particularism  which 
seems  to  be  inherent  in  nationality.  Certainly  no  modern 
European  race  dare  cast  a  stone.  The  great  ideas  expressed 
in  the  Servant-poems  had  to  wage  a  constant  warfare 
against  that  spirit  of  national  exclusiveness  which  sought 
to  keep  God's  mercies  within  its  own  narrow  race-walls 
(cf.  Luke  iv.  25-9;  Acts  xxii.  21,  22),  and  imposed  the 
severe  restraints  of  legalism  upon  the  foreigner  who 
might  seek  admission  to  the  privileges  of  the  Covenant 
Race. 

Nevertheless  the  power  of  these  great  ideas  first 
definitely  expressed  in  the  Servant-poems  ^  could  not  be 
suppressed.  We  frequently  meet  with  them  in  the 
Psalms  in  which  the  conception  of  God's  universal  good- 
ness is  frequently  expressed.    Ps.  cxlv.  9 :  '  Yahweh  is  good 


'  Onl}'    very   superficial   exegesis   could    make   a  claim   of 
priority  for  Gen.  xii.  3  'J)  ;  see  footnote  above  on  p.  21. 


INTRODUCTION  41 

to  all  and  His  lender  mercies  are  over  all  His  works.* 
Ps.xxxvi.  7  (Heb.  8):  'How  precious  is  Thy  loving-kindness 
O  God :  and  as  for  mankind,  under  the  shadow  of  Thy 
wings  they  take  refuge.'  Moreover,  the  heathen  are 
constantly  called  upon  to  praise  God— Ps.  ix.  12,  xviii.  50, 
xlviii.  II,  Ivii.  10,  xcvi,  cv.  i,  cviii.  4.  The  universal 
conceptions  also  find  expression  in  the  Book  of  Job — a 
work  which  is  evidently  influenced  by  the  Servant- 
passages,  and  deals  with  the  problem  of  suffering  from 
another  standpoint.  Neither  Job  himself  nor  his  friends 
are  Jews.  Another  remarkable  example  of  the  influence 
of  the  Servant-poems  and  their  central  thought  (Isa. 
xlix.  6)  is  the  Book  of  Jonah ^  a  work  which  belongs  to 
the  close  of  the  Persian  or  beginning  of  the  Greek 
period.  It  is  a  protest  against  Jewish  exclusiveness  both 
eloquent  and  significant  because  it  seems  to  stand 
solitary.  God's  care  for  all  His  creatures  extends  beyond 
even  the  confines  of  humanity;  it  includes  also  the 
animals  within  its  scope  ^  (Jonah  iv.  lo-ii). 

When  we  come  to  the  Maccabaean  period  (after  168  B.C.) 
the  struggle  with  Antiochus  Epiphanes  gave  immense 
impetus  to  the  national  spirit  and  the  reaction  against 
Hellenism.  The  Hasidhii  or  pious  devotees,  out  of  whom 
Pharisaism  emerged,  were  the  living  embodiment  of  this 
tendency  to  safeguard  the  observance  of  the  Torah  and 
resist  foreign  encroachment.  All  these  influences 
militated  against  the  liberal  tendencies  fostered  by  Hebrew 
prophecy  and  the  missionary  function  of  the  Jewish  race 
as  God's  messenger  to  mankind  inculcated  in  the '  Servant 
poems.*  Nevertheless  these  nobler  ideals  did  not  perish. 
In  the  *  vision  of  animals '  contained  in  the  Book  of  Enoch 
we  have  very  definite  allusion  to  the  conversion  of  the 
heathen  in  the  end  of  the  world  ^.     Similarly  in   Enoch 


^  The   autlior   owes  the   reference  to    this   significant   and 
beautiful  trait  to  Prof.  Peake. 

^  Note  especially  chap.  xc.  33-6  :    '  And  all  that  had  been 


42  .  .  ISAIAH 

X.  21  foil.,  'And  all  the  chiidren  of  men  shall  become 
righteous,  and  all  nations  shall  offer  me  adoration  and 
praise,  and  all  will  worship  me.  And  all  the  earth  will  be 
cleansed  from  every  corruption  and  sin  and  from  all 
punishment  and  torment,  and  I  will  never  again  send  them 
upon  it  from  generation  to  generation  for  ever.'  So  also 
cv.  I,  '  And  in  those  days,  saith  the  Lord,  they  shall  call 
and  testify  to  the  children  of  the  earth  concerning  their 
wisdom :  show  it  unto  them,  for  ye  are  their  guides.' 
In  the  '  Similitudes  '  of  the  Book  of  Enoch  the  universalist 
conception  is  expressed  even  more  strongly.  The  '  Son  of 
Man'  becomes  the  light  and  hope  of  the  nations, 
especially  of  those  who  are  in  affliction.  All  who  dwell  in 
the  world  are  to  fall  down  before  Him  (xlviii.  4,  5  '). 

When  we  ask  ourselves  the  question  how  far  Judaism 
undertook  an  active  propaganda  of  its  faith  among  the 
Gentiles,  we  shall  find  but  few  traces  of  such  propaganda 
in  the  early  post-exilian  period.     No  doubt  active  efforts 


destroyed  and  dispersed  and  all  the  beasts  of  the  field  and  all 
the  birds  of  heaven  assembled  in  that  house,  and  the  Lord 
of  the  sheep  rejoiced  with  great  joy  because  they  v^ere  all 
good  and  had  returned  to  His  house.  And  I  saw  till  they 
laid  down  that  sword  which  had  been  given  to  the  sheep,  and 
they  brought  it  back  into  His  house,  and  it  was  sealed  before  the 
presence  of  the  Lord  ;  and  all  the  sheep  were  invited  into  that 
house,  but  it  held  them  not  .  .  .  And  I  saw  that  that  house  was 
large  and  broad  and  very  full.'  Cf.  also  Tobit  xiii.  11,  xiv.  6,  7. 
^  '  He  will  be  a  staff  to  the  righteous  on  which  they  will 
support  themselves  and  not  fall ;  and  he  will  be  the  light  of  the 
Gentiles  and  the  hope  of  those  who  are  troubled  of  heart. 
All  who  dwell  on  earth  will  fall  down  and  bow  the  knee 
before  him  and  will  bless,  laud,  and  celebrate  in  song  the  Lord 
of  Spirits'  (comp.  Ixii.  6,  7,  9,  Ixiii).  Bousset  in  his  Religion 
des  fudeuttuns,  2nd  ed.,  p.  96,  furnishes  other  illustrative 
citations  from  the  Slavonic  Book  of  Enoch  and  Book  of 
Jubilees.  The  present  writer  desires  to  express  here  his 
considerable  obligations  to  this  important  work  of  r  Prof. 
BousseL  as  well  as  to  Scliurer's  instructive  chapter  on  the 
*  Prosel>'tes '  in  his  Gcschichte  des  jiidisclien  Volkes  ini  Zeitalter 
Jrsn  Christi,  3rd  ed.,  vol.  iii,  pp.  102-35. 


INTRODUCTION  43 

were  made  immediately  after  the  return  from  exile  to  win 
over  to  the  truejudaism  of  the  pious  exiles  those  Palestinian 
Jews,  considerable  in  number,  who  had  lapsed  into  heathen- 
ism. During  the  early  post-exilian  centuries  we  find  that 
the  word  ger  (or  toshdb),  which  originally  signified  the 
foreign  resident  in  the  land  of  the  Jew,  came  to  be 
employed  in  the  narrower  sense  of  proselyte  or  converted 
Gentile.  In  fact  the  Priestly  legislation  devotes  special 
attention  to  this  ger^  and  repeatedly  emphasizes  the  fact 
that  the  ger  has  the  same  ceremonial  duties  as  the  Jew. 
Here  we  have  certainly  an  indication  that  the  bond  that 
constituted  the  religious  community  was  ?-eligioii  and  not 
mere  nationality.  But  it  is  easily  possible  to  attach  undue 
importance  to  this  fact.  For  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the 
underlying  motive  was  not  any  strong  desire  to  win  over 
the  aliens,  but  a  tendency  which  was,  after  all,  exclusive. 
The  Jews  after  the  exile  found  a  large  number  of  strangers 
dwelling  in  Palestine,  and  they  were  anxious  to  convert 
them  and  so  keep  the  land  and  community  in  which  they 
dwelt  pure  from  all  foreign  contamination  in  cultus. 

It  is  rather  to  the  Diaspora  we  must  look,  as  Moriz 
Friedlander  in  his  recent  stimulating  work  has  shown  ^ 
for  the  liberalizing  and  quickening  influences  of  the 
Jewish  race,  and  for  the  real  response  to  the  message  of 
the  exile  poet.  Bousset  thinks  that  the  enormous  increase 
of  the  Jewish  Diaspora  in  the  second  century  B.  c.  can  only 
be  accounted  for  by  the  assumption  that  those  Jewish 
communities  received  considerable  accretions  from  with- 
out. There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  Hellenic-Roman 
world  was  specially  accessible  to  Jewish  influence,  and 
especially  to  Jewish  monotheism.  Owing  to  the  decay  of 
polytheism  and  to  the  teachings  of  Greek  philosophy,  the 
age  was  ripe  for  the  advent  of  Judaism.  In  the  presence 
of  the  shifting  and  contradictory  speculations  of  Greek 


'  Die  religioscH  Bavegitngen  imui/uilb  des  Jiidenfunts,  p.  239 
roll. 


44  ISAIAH 

philosophy  and  its  fluctuating  societies,  the  Jews  had 
their  steadfast,  firmly-welded  communities — their  fixed 
religious  system  and  their  abiding  faith.  And  there  are 
many  testimonies  to  show  that  the  Hellenic  Jew  ardently 
sought,  to  extend  his  faith  among  the  Gentile  population 
that  surrounded  him,  until  he  awakened  the  misgiving  and 
even  hatred  of  those  whom  he  sought  to  convert  ^.  The 
Jewish  Sibylli7ie  poef,  writing  in  the  second  century  B.  c, 
not  long  after  the  destruction  of  Corinth  by  Mummius, 
makes  that  event  the  occasion  to  call  the  Hellenic  world 
to  repentance  by  reason  of  the  great  overthrow  and 
Divine  judgment  that  has  come  upon  it  through  the 
Romans.  The  Jewish  poet  hopes  for  a  time  in  which 
there  will  reign  a  universal  peace  and  there  will  be  a 
common  law  for  mankind  upon  earth  (iii.  744-61 ;  cf.  616 
foil.,  806  foil.).  But  it  is  Philo  who  is  the  most  eminent 
example  of  liberal  Judaism  throwing  its  doors  open  wide 
to  the  Gentile  seeker  after  God.  Greek  philosophy 
moulded  his  symbolic  interpretations  of  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures.  To  him  the  Jewish  Torah  was  a  book  for  the 
world  and  not  simply  for  the  Jew :  *  For  it  attracts  and 
converts  all  men,  barbarians  and  Hellenes,  the  inhabitants 
of  the  mainland  and  of  the  islands,  nations  in  the  East 
and  in  the  West ;  Europe,  Asia,  the  whole  inhabited 
world  from  one  end  to  the  other '  ( Vif.  Mosis^  ii,  §  20 
(chap,  iv) :  cf.  the  entire  section  §  17  foil.). 

In  the  time  of  Christ  the  success  of  the  Jewish  pro- 
paganda is  attested  by  the  conversion  of  King  Izates  of 
Adiabene  (in  Assyria),  his  mother  Helena  and  his  entire 
household  (Josephus,  Antiq.  xx,  chap.  2).  It  is  attested  by 
St.  Paul's  missionary  journeys,  in  which  he  found  side 
by  side  with  the  Jews  Gentile  co-religionists."     Indeed  it 


'  Juvenal,  Sat.  xiv.  96  foil.  ;  Seneca  quoted  in  Augustine, 
Dc  Civ.  Dei.,  vi.  11. 

^  Called  ffffiofiivoi  or  cpoPovfjici'oi  tw  $(6v  or  irpoaiiXvToi,  Acts 
xiii.  16,  26,  43,  50,  xvi.  14,  xxii.  4,  xviii.  7  :  cf.  Rev.  xi.  18. 
Bousset    also    quotes    the    interesting    technical    expression 


INTRODUCTION  45 

seems  fairly  clear  that  the  first  successes  of  Christianity 
were  won  in  these  very  circles  of  Gentile  proselytes  to 
Judaism.  It  is  even  attested  by  Christ's  own  denunciations, 
which  show  that  the  Palestinian  Pharisees  were  also 
ardent  in  their  endeavours  to  convert  the  Gentile  :  '  Woe 
unto  you  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  dissemblers,  for  ye  com- 
pass sea  and  land  to  make  one  proselyte  . .  .'  (Matt,  xxiii. 
15).  Judaism,  as  we  know,  spoke  with  two  contrasted 
voices  during  the  first  century  of  the  Christian  era.  Hillel 
was  the  genial  propagandist  of  his  faith  among  the 
Gentiles.  One  of  his  chief  utterances  is  cited  in  Pirke 
Abhoth,  i.  12,  '  Love  all  creatures  and  lead  them  to  the 
law.'  And  there  are  many  traditions  of  his  gentleness 
and  charity  to  foreigners  and  of  the  like  disposition  on 
the  part  of  his  followers.  A  beautiful  saying  is  reported 
of  Simon  son  of  Paul's  teacher  Gamaliel :  *  If  a  Gentile 
comes  to  enter  into  the  covenant,  extend  to  him  the  hand 
that  he  may  come  under  the  pinions  of  the  Shechina.' 
But  the  other  voice,  hard  and  bitter,  was  that  of  Shamniai 
and  his  school,  characterized  by  severity  and  exclusiveness 
towards  the  Greeks  and  checking  all  tendencies  towards 
a  liberal  propaganda.  The  terrible  conflict  with  Rome  in 
70  A.D.,  and  still  later  in  the  uprising  of  Bar  Cochba  in 
135  A.  D.,  stifled  the  missionary  zeal  of  Judaism.  The 
school  of  Shammai  prevailed.  Christianity,  which,  mainly 
owing  to  the  efforts  of  St.  Paul,  had  cast  off  the  restrictions 
of  Jewish  nationalism,  viz.  circumcision,  the  laws  re- 
specting unclean  meats  and  even  the  Sabbath,  had  by 
this  time  become  not  a  mere  sect  of  Judaism  but  a  universal 
religion.  It  now  occupied  to  the  Gentiles  the  place  of 
Judaism,  and  carried  with  it  the  knowledge  of  the  O.  T. 
Scriptures  and  their  ideas,  divested  of  ceremonialism,  to 
all  the  races  of  the  world.     The  fulfilment  of  the  great 


metuens  on  a  number  of  Latin  inscriptions.  This  writer  holds 
that  hitherto  the  importance  of  this  mission  of  Judaism  to  the 
Gentile  world  has  not  been  estimated  highly  enough. 


46  ISAIAH 

ideal  of  the  Suffering  Servant  expressed  in  Isa.  xlix.  6and 
liii  finally  passed  from  Judaism  to  Christ  and  Christianity.* 

*  The  reader  of  German  is  directed  to  the  interesting  and 
suggestive  characterization  of  Jesus,  and  especially  of  St.  Paul, 
from  a  liberal  Jewish  standpoint,  in  the  concluding  chapters 
iv  and  v  in  the  above-mentioned  work  Die  religiosen  Bewe- 
gnngen,  &c.,  by  M.  Friedlander.  Also  on  the  Jewish  Sibylline 
oracles  see  pp.  289-95. 


THE  DEUTERO-ISAIAH 

ISAIAH   XL— LV 

REVISED   VERSION   WITH  ANNOTATIONS 


ISAIAH 

THE   BOOK   OF   THE   PROPHET    ISAIAH 
Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my  people,  saith  your  God.  40 

I.    THE   DEUTERO-ISAIAH. 

Chaps,  xl-lv,  or  Deutero-Isaiah,  is  a  collection  of  oracles, 
intended  to  be  a  message  of  comfort  and  awakening  hope  to 
the  Jewish  exiles  in  Babylonia,  composed  542-538  b.c.  (see 
Introduction). 

(i)  CHAPTERS  XL-XLVIII:  THE  ADVENT  OF  CYRUS. 

A.  Chaps,  xl-xli  describe  the  advent  of  the  new  and  happier 
time.  Yahweh  is  portrayed  in  majestic  language  as  standing 
alone  and  incomparable,  far  above  and  beyond  human  estimate 
and  conception,  supreme  in  wisdom  and  might,  the  hope  and 
strength  of  all  the  weak  who  trust  in  Him.  He  will  display  His 
might  by  raising  up  Israel's  deliverer  (Cyrus;  through  whom  the 
people's  foes  shall  be  destroyed,  and  Israel's  restoration  shall  be 
effected. 

(a)  Chap.  xl.  i-ii.  God  commands  that  a  message  of  comfort 
and  pardon  shall  be  given  to  His  people  (verses  i,  2).  Heraldic 
voices  are  raised  to  prepare  the  path  for  God's  advent  through  the 
desert  (3-6).  Another  voice  declares  that  while  everything 
human  perishes,  God's  word  is  eternal  (7,  8).  An  exhortation  is 
addressed  to  inhabitants  of  Zion  to  bring  this  good  news  to  the 
towns  of  Judah,  bidding  them  not  to  fear,  since  God  is  at  hand 
armed  with  might  to  render  a  true  recompense  and  to  lead  His 
flock  like  a  faithful  shepherd. 

1.  comfort  ye :  repetition  of  phrase,  as  we  have  already  pointed 
out  (Introd.  p.  35),  is  a  characteristic  of  this  writer.  Who  are 
addressed?  The  LXX  (or  the  Hebrew  copy  which  they  em- 
ployed) suppose  that  it  is  the  priests  \  a  conjecture  which  may  be 
safely  rejected.  The  Targum  holds  that  the  prophets  are  here 
addressed.  This  view  is  more  probable.  The  interesting  parallel 
Isa.  lii.  7-9  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  the  words  are  addressed 

^  Marked  in  Q  (cod.  Marchalianus,  sixth  century)  with  the  hexa- 
plaric  obelus. 


50  ISAIAH  40.  2 

3  Speak  ye  comfortably  to  Jerusalem,  and  cry  unto  her,  that 
her  warfare  is  accomplished,  that  her  iniquity  is  pardoned; 
that  she  hath  received  of  the  Lord's  hand  double  for  all 
her  sins. 

to  all  who  are  capable  of  receiving  the  Divine  message  (Dillm.- 
Kittel). 

The  word  'saith,'  corresponding  to  the  Heb.  imperf., 
emphasizes  the  present  time  as  that  in  which  the  utterance  is 
made.     Cf.  the  use  of  the  partic.  'crying,'  verse  3. 

2.  Instead  of 'my  people '  we  have  Jerusalem.  From  this  it 
is  not  to  be  inferred  tliat  Jerusalem  was  already  built.  Jerusalem 
merely  stands  here,  as  in  xlviii.  2,  xlix.  14  f.,  li.  16,  lii.  i  foil.,  7  foil., 
to  represent  the  Jewish  community.  The  hope  of  the  glorious 
future  is  concentrated  in  Jerusalem,  the  old  home  of  the  race. 
Words  of  comfort  are  to  be  addressed  to  Jerusalem,  now  in  ruins. 
Both  the  city  and  the  people  it  represents  can  have  no  conception 
of  the  bright  dawn  which  is  coming.  R.  V.  (marg.)  '  to  the  heart ' 
indicates  the  actual  Hebrew  words  here  rendered  by  'comfortably'. 
We  have  the  same  use  of  words  in  the  original  in  Gen.  xxxiv.  3, 
1.  21  ;  Judg.  xix.  3.  The  message  of  comfort  is  that  the  time  of 
hardship  or  period  of  forced  bond-service  is  completed.  The  word 
in  Hebrew,  sdbd,  properly  means  military  service,  but  in  later 
Hebrew,  as  in  Job  vli,  i,  it  means  hard  bond-service  or  the  work 
of  a  hired  servant  (cf,  x.  17,  xiv.  14. — In  Num.  iv.  3,  23,  &c.  (P; 
it  means  the  service  of  the  Levites  in  the  sanctuary).  It  is  quite 
evident  that  we  must  take  the  word  here  in  its  later  meaning  of 
'bond-service,'  since  'warfare' or  military  service  has  no  historical 
relevance  to  the  condition  of  the  Jewish  people  in  the  days  of  the 
exile. ^ 

Translate  'that  her  iniquity  is  paid  for,*  i.e.  atoned  for  or  made 
good.  The  Heb.  verb  is  difficult  to  translate,  and  expresses  the 
graciousness  of  the  Divine  act  of  cancelling  or  atoning  for  the 
guilt.  In  Lev.  i.  4,  vii.  18,  xix.  7,  &c.,  it  is  used  of  God's  gracious 
acceptance  of  sacrificial  ofierings.  Indeed,  God's  tendercompassions 
are  such  that  He  considers  the  chastisements  which  the  Jewish 
race  has  already  endured  to  be  twice  as  great  as  those  which 
were  due.  We  gain  nothing  by  supposing  that  the  last  clause  of 
this  verse  is  based  on  Jer.  xvi.  18,  'and  I  recompense  unto  them 
[first  of  all]  double  of  their  guilt,'  for  this  only  tends  to  obscure 

^  Owing  to  the  feminine  gender  of  the  word  sdln'r  here,  which  is 
most  unusual,  Marti  alters  the  text  and  would  render,  'she  has  com- 
pleted her  time  of  service ' ;  but  the  modification  is  unnecessary. 
The  word  is  also  feminine  in  Dan.  viii.  12. 


ISAIAH  40.  3,4  51 

The  voice  of  one  that  crieth,  Prepare  ye  in  the  wilder-  3 
ness  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  straight  in  the  desert  a 
high  way  for  our  God.    Every  valley  shall  be  exalted,  and  4 

the  force  of  the  present  passage.  Moreover,  critics  deny  that  Jere- 
miah was  the  author  of  the  verse  cited  (so  Giesebrechtand  Cornill). 
Duhm  and  Marti  formerly  affirmed  the  dependence  of  this  Isaiah 
passage  on  that  of  Jeremiah  ;  but  now  the  former  critic,  both  in 
his  later  edition  of  the  Isaiah  commentary  and  in  that  which  he 
has  written  on  Jeremiah,  has  withdrawn  his  earlier  view. 

3-4.  The  opening  words  are  most  idiomatically  rendered  '  Hark ! 
there  is  a  cry  :  *'  Prepare  ye  Yahweh's  way  in  the  wilderness."  ' 
This  is  the  real  signification  of  the  word  for  'voice'  in  the  original 
ikol).^  The  words  'in  the  wilderness,'  it  will  be  noted,  are 
connected  with  the  words  '  prepare  ye  Yahweh's  way.'  This  is 
clearly  indicated  by  the  Hebrew  accentuation  which  is  followed 
by  Dillm.,  Kittel,  and  Duhm.  On  the  other  hand,  LXX,  Matt.  iii.  3 
(and  parall.)  as  well  as  Vulg.,  connect  the  words  in  the  way  that 
has  become  familiar  to  us,  'The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilder- 
ness, Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord. . .'  This  is  the  rendering  of 
A.  V.  On  the  other  hand,  R.  V.  have  followed  what  is  undoubtedly 
the  correct  tradition  of  our  Hebrew  Massoretic  text,  which  the 
following  parallel  clause,  'make  level  in  the  desert  a  highway  for 
our  God,'  demonstrates  with  clearness.  In  this  clause  the  word 
'  desert '  in  the  Hebrew  original  is  'Ardbd/t.  This,  however,  does 
not  mean  the  well-known  Palestinian  'Arabah,  which  included  the 
southern  part  of  the  great  depression  of  the  Jordan  valley  includ- 
ing Jericho.  This  would  imply  that  the  great  Divine  procession 
is  to  come  by  the  way  of  Se'ir,  which  is  geographically  most 
improbable.  'Arabah  is  here  used  in  its  purely  generic  sense,  and 
denotes  the  desert  between  Babylonia  and  Palestine,  through 
which  God  is  to  lead  His  people,  as  He  did  formerly  from  Egypt 
(so  Gesenius,  Hitzig,  Ewald,Knobel,and  nearly  all  recent  exegetes) : 
cf.  xlix.  II,  Iii.  8,  12  and  also  Ixii.  10  foil. 

Who  is  the  personage  who  utters  the  cry  ?  Evidently  not 
Yahweh,  or  we  should  not  have  the  expression  'a  highway  for  our 
God.''  On  the  other  hand,  it  can  hardly  have  been  a  human  being, 
since  the  whole  character  of  the  highway  here  described  implies 
a  task  beyond  human  powers.  There  appears  to  be  a  suggestion 
that  celestial  powers  are  to  construct  this  colossal  roadway  for 
Yahweh's  triumphal  progress  whereby  mountains  and  hills  are  to 
sink,  and  the  bases  of  the  valleys  to  rise  to  form  a  level  path.     Is 

^  The  same  word  occurs  in  Gen.  iv.  lo,  which  accordingly  ought  to 
he  translated,  '  Hark  I  thy  brother's  blood  cries  ...  *  see  Gesenius- 
Kaulzsch,  Hcb.  Grain.'^'',  §  146.  1,  rem.  1. 

E    2 


52  ISAIAH  40.  5 

every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be  made  low  :   and  the 

crooked  shall  be  made  straight,  and  the  rough  places 

5  plain  :  [and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed,  and 

the  voice  that  summons  them  to  this  task  one  of  themselves, 
similar  to  the  Seraphs  who  cry  to  one  another  in  Isaiah's  conse- 
cration-vision (vi.  3)  ?  The  entire  conception  is  based  on 
this  image  of  a  monarch's  royal  progress  for  which  fitting  prepara- 
tions are  made  (cf.  Mark  xi.  8).  Cf.  the  language  in  reference  to 
Cyrus  (xlv.  2).^ 

4.  The  physical  features  involved  in  the  levelling  process  arc 
here  described  in  their  large  outlines.  Probably  we  should  render 
the  latter  part  of  the  verse  '  the  steep  ^  shall  become  a  plain  and 
the  mountain-ridges  an  open  valle}'.'  Both  this  and  the  preceding 
verse  might  perhaps  have  been  conceived  by  the  enthusiastic  poet  as 
awaiting  a  literal  fulfilment,  like  the  vast  physical  changes 
portrayed  in  Isa.  ii.  2.  It  is  by  no  means  easy  in  dealing 
with  O.  T.  prophecy  to  be  quite  certain  where  the  purely 
figurative  employment  of  terms  enters.  In  this  particular  case 
the  purely  metaphorical  use  of  the  language  seems  to  be  required 
by  the  geographical  conditions,  since  no  considerable  hills — 
certainly  no  mountain-chains — intervene  along  the  desert  journey 
between  Babylonia  and  the  borders  of  Palestine.  Accordingly 
we  have  here  vivid  imagery  employed  to  describe  the  vast 
difficulties  which  are  to  be  overcome  by  supernatural  agencies, 
whereby  the  way  is  to  be  prepared  for  Yahweh's  glorious  advent 
and  Israel's  deliverance. 

xl.  5-8.  Metric  considerations  combined  with  those  of  internal 
connexion  in  thought  have  led  Duhm  to  a  complete  reconstruction 
of  the  order  of  verses  5-1 1.  The  opening  lines  of  the  original 
Hebrew,  verses  1-4,  are  long  lines  in  the  familiar  Kinah  or 
elegiac  measure,  each  consisting  of  a  longer  and  shorter  portion 
like  the  metre  already  described  in  our  commentary  on  Isaiah 
chap,  xiii  (vol.  i,  p.  183).      The  following  verses  in  our  text,  5-8, 

^  Gunkel,  Forschttngen  ztir  Religion  tnid  Literatur  des  A.  T.  u. 
N.  T.,  Heft  I,  p.  49,  note  5,  as  well  as  Gressmann,  Der  Ursprungder 
IsraeL-yUd.  Eschatologie,  p.  223,  thinks  this  conception  borrowed 
from  the  solemn  street-procession  of  the  god  Marduk  from  Babylon 
to  Borsippa,  in  which  the  images  of  the  deities  were  borne  by  the 
priests.  We  have  similar  parallels  in  Egypt;  Krman,  Die  agypt. 
Religion,  p.  43.  But  these  analogies,  though  suggestive,  are  hardly 
convincing. 

"  This  seems  to  be  the  actual  meaning  of  the  Hebrew  {'dkobh, 
comp.  the  Arabic  'akabat,  meaning  a  mountain-path). 


ISAIAH  40.  5  53 

all  flesh  shall  see  it  together :  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord 

are  not  in  the  same  measure.  The  Kinah  measure  of  the  opertih'g 
four  verses  is  not  resumed  till  we  come  to  verses  9-1 1.  These 
considerations  have  led  Duhm  (who  is  followed  by  Cheyne  and 
Marti)  to  the  conclusion  that  the  original  order  of  the  verses 
1-4,  immediatel3^  followed  by  verses  9-1 1,  has  been  disturbed  bj' 
the  insertion  of  the  foreign  element,  verses  6-8,  placed  imme- 
diately after  verse  4,  because  it  opens  with  the  same  word  *  voice  ' 
(  =  *Hark!')  as  the  four-lined  stanza,  verses  3-4.  After  this 
insertion  had  been  made,  verse  5,  consisting  of  three  shorter  lines 
(with  the  expression  strange  to  the  Deutero-Isaiah  in  the  conclud- 
ing line  :  '  For  the  mouth  of  Yahweh  hath  uttered  it '),  was  added 
by  a  later  editor  in  order  to  furnish  a  suitable  transition  from 
verse  4  to  verse  6  with  its  announcement  that  all  flesh  is  grass. 
Hence  the  allusion  to  *  all  flesh '  in  the  second  line  of  verse  5. 

A  careful  examination  of  the  contents  will  probably  convince 
the  attentive  as  well  as  unprejudiced  student  that  these  views  of 
Duhm,  based  in  the  first  instance  on  considerations  of  metre,  rest 
on  a  strong  basis.  Let  him  read  consecutively  verses  1-4  and 
9-1 1  and  he  finds  himself  in  one  continuous  and  harmonious 
current  of  confident  expectation  of  God's  great  achievements  on 
behalf  of  the  people  who  are  the  objects  of  His  tender  care.  But 
how  strangely  and  discordantly  does  the  minor  key  of  verses  6-8 
break  into  this  harmon}' !  But  what  is  the  actual  place  and 
connexion  of  verses  6-8?  There  is  no  sufficient  reason  to  deny 
their  Deutero-Isaianic  origin,  though  their  sombre  colouring  is  out 
of  harmony  with  verses  1-4  and  9-1 1.  Duhm  (whom  Cheyne  in 
SBOT.  follows)  inserts  verses  6-8  between  verses  11  and  12, 
and  this  arrangement  might  be  accepted  in  default  of  a  better. 
Yet  even  here  the  minor  key  hardly  accords  with  the  calm 
exaltation  of  the  hues  that  follow.  We  should  prefer  to  insert 
them  between  verses  17  and  18. 

5.  The  passive  shall  be  revealed  is  not  so  probable  a  rendering 
as  the  reflexive  'shall  reveal  itself.'  Flesh  here,  as  in  so  many 
other  passages,  means  the  mortal  race  :  Gen.  vi.  12  ;  Jer.  xxv.  31  ; 
Zech.  ii.  17.  All  flesh  refers  to  all  humanity  and  not  Israel 
exclusivel3r.  The  object  after  see  is  not  expressed  in  Hebrew, 
but  in  our  version  is  rendered  by  '  it,'  i.  e.  the  glory  of  Yahweh. 
The  LXX  seem  to  have  had  either  another  text  before  them  or  to 
have  taken  objection  to  the  omission  of  any  object  to  the  verb 
'see.'  They  supply  as  the  object  'the  salvation  of  God,'  and 
the  Hebrew  equivalent  of  these  words  is  actually  added  by 
Lowth,  Ewald  and  Oort  in  the  Hebrew  text  Tcf.  also  Luke  iii.  6). 
But  there  are  objections  to  the  insertion  as  it  overloads  the 
verse,  which  consists  of  three  short  lines.      Not  improbably,  as 


54  ISAIAH  40.  6,7 

6  hath  spoken  it].    The  voice  of  one  saying,  Cry.    And  one 
said,  What  shall  I  cry?  All  flesh  is  grass,  and  all  the 

7  goodliness  thereof  is  as  the  flower  of  the  field  :  [the  grass 
withereth,  the  flower  fadeth ;  because  the  breath  of  the 

Rosenmiiller   suggests,  the    similar   passage,    lii.    to,    may   have 
influenced  the  translation  of  the  LXX. 

6-8.  Hitman  transience  and  decay  contrasted  with  the  Divine 
permanence.  These  verses  are  in  the  ordinarj'  distich  form  quite 
distinct  from  the  Kinah  measure  of  the  first  four  verses  and  of 
verses  9- 11  : — 

'  "  Hark  !  "  one  cries,  ''proclaim  !  " — and  I  said  :  What  shall  I 

proclaim  ? 
"  All  flesh  is  grass — and  all  its  charm  ^  like  the  wild  flower : 
Dried  up  is  the  grass,  withered  the  flower — for  Yahweh's  blast 

blows  on  it ; 
Yea,  the  people  is  grass. 
D»:ied  up  is  the  grass,  withered  the  flower — but  the  word  of 

our  God  abideth  for  ever."' 

6.  It  will  be  observed  that  in  place  of  '  one  said,'  which  is  the 
reading  of  the  Hebrew  Massoretic  text  (which  involves  obscurit}' 
as  to  the  subject  referred  to),  we  have  followed  the  translation 
indicated  in  R.  V.  (marg.)  based  on  a  different  pronunciation  of 
the  same  Hebrew  words  and  adopted  by  the  ancient  versions 
LXX  and  Vulg. 

*f.  The  'blast  of  Yahweh  '  probably  alludes  to  the  hot  east  wind 
that  scorches  up  vegetation.  The  grass  and  flower  do  not  refer 
to  the  might  and  glory  of  Assyria  and  Babylonia  only.  All 
flesh  evidently,  as  in  verse  5,  includes  Israel  as  well  as  foreign 
peoples.  Here  the  former  is  intended  quite  as  much  as  the  latter. 
There  is  no  sufficient  reason  for  rejecting  the  clause  *Yea,  the 
people  is  grass'  as  a  gloss,  as  Gesenius,  Hitzig,  Oort,  and  other 
writers  have  done.  The  Hebrew  word  rendered  '  Yea  '  occurs  in 
xlv.  15,  and  the  expression  'people'  as  a  general  designation 
of  the  earth's  human  inhabitants  meets  us  in  chap.  xlii.  5.  It  is, 
however,  quite  possible  that  the  expression  '  the  people '  here 
refers  more  particularly  to  Israel,  since  it  is  the  ordinary  designation 
for  God's  covenant-race  (Isa.  i.  3  ;  Hos.  i.  9,  ii.  1,  iv.  6  and 
passim). 


^  We  should  probably  so  render  the  Heb.  hasdo  oi  our  text.  The 
LXX  render  by  5o£«,  *  splendour,'  which  presupposes  either  hodho  or 
h^daro  (rather  than  k'hhodO). 


ISAIAH  40.  8-10  55 

Lord  bloweth  upon  it :  surely  the  people  is  grass].     The  8 
grass  withereth,  the  flower  fadeth  :    but  the  word  of  our 
God  shall  stand  for  ever. 

O  thou  that  tellest  good  tidings  to  Zion,  get  thee  up  into  9 
the  high  mountain ;  O  thou  that  tellest  good  tidings  to 
Jerusalem,  lift  up  thy  voice  with  strength  ;  lift  it  up,  be 
not  afraid ;   say  unto  the  cities  of  Judah,  Behold,  your 
God  !  Behold,  the  Lord  God  will  come  as  a  mighty  one,  10 


On  the  other  hand,  we  have  stronger  grounds  for  rejecting  verse 
7  entire,  since  it  is  omitted  in  the  LXX,  and  the  repetition  of 
phrase  in  verse  8  suggests  strongly  the  supposition  that  v^-e  have 
here  a  dupHcation  due  to  the  carelessness  of  a  scribe. 

9.  The  Elegiac  measure  of  verses  1-4  once  more  recurs,  and  the 
same  spirit  is  breathed  of  joyful  confidence.  The  rendering  given 
above  (R.V.)  differs  from  that  of  A.V.,  which  is  'O  Zion  that 
bringest  good  tidings'  (placed  in  the  margin  of  R.  V.).  The 
literal  rendering  of  the  Hebrew  is  'Glad  messenger  of  Zion,'  and 
this  is  interpreted  as  an  instance  of  what  is  called  appositional 
genitive  \  i.  e.  it  means  '  Glad  messenger,  Zion,'  or,  in  other  words, 
'O  Zion  that  bringest  good  tidings'  (A.  V.\  This  view  has  very 
large  support.  Not  only  from  the  Greek  translators  LXX,  Aq., 
Theod.,  Sym.,  but  also  from  Vitringa,  Clericus,  Ewald,  Dehtzsch, 
and  others.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  also  possible  to  treat  the 
feminine  construct  form  in  the  original  as  a  collective  sing.  So 
that  the  rendering  should  be,  '  O  messengers  of  good  tidings  in 
Zion.'  ^  This  explanation  is  adopted  by  Duhm  and  Marti,  and  is 
supported  by  the  parallel  passages,  lii.  7  foil,  and  also  xli.  27. 

10.  come  as  a  mighty  one  is  the  idiomatic^  rendering  of  our 
Hebrew  text.  But  the  ancient  versions  LXX,  Pesh.,  Targ.,  and 
Vulg.  pronounced  the  Hebrew  characters  with  different  vowels, 
and  probably  we  ought  to  follow  them  and  render  *  come  with 
strength '  (so  Gesen.  and  Ewald.  followed  by  Duhm  and  Marti). 


^  Of  course  the  word  stands  in  the  original  Hebrew  as  a  feminine 
construction ;  we  have  a  similar  use  in  Isa.  i.  S,  daughter  of  Zion  (see 
our  note  ad  loc).  It  is  called  sometimes  an  explicative  or  epexe- 
geiic  genitive,  Gesenius-Kautzsch  '^"j  §  12S,  2,  k. 

^  The  idiom  of  this  use  of  the  feminine  singular  is  explained 
and  illustrated  in  Gesenius-Kautzsch's  Hebrew  Gram,  ^"j  §  122  s. 

^  On  this  idiom,  called  Beth  essentiae,  see  Gesen. -Kautzsch''"',  Heb. 
Gr.  §  119,  3  i. 


56  ISAIAH  40.  11-13 

and  his  arm  shall  rule  for  him  :  behold,  his  reward  is  with 
him,  and  his  recompence  before  him.  He  shall  feed  his 
flock  like  a  shepherd,  he  shall  gather  the  lambs  in  his  arm, 
and  carry  them  in  his  bosom,  ajid  shall  gently  lead  those 
that  give  suck. 

Who  hath  measured  the  waters  in  the  hollow  of  his 
hand,  and  meted  out  heaven  with  the  span,  and  compre- 
hended the  dust  of  the  earth  in  a  measure,  and  weighed 
the  mountains  in  scales,  and  the  hills  in  a  balance  ?  Who 
hath  directed  the  spirit  of  the  Lord,  or  being  his  counsellor 

His  arm  shall  rule  for  Mm  means  that  Yahweh  shall 
conquer  His  foes  by  His  overwhelming  power.  As  a  successful 
warrior  He  obtains  the  reward  of  His  efforts. 

11  touches  on  the  more  gentle  traits  of  Yahweh's  character. 
He  is  not  only  the  victorious  warrior  who  breaks  down  all 
opposition,  but,  like  a  good  shepherd,  shows  tender  care  for  His 
sheep.  Cf.  Jer.  xxxi.  10;  Ezek.  xxxiv.  11-16.  The  Heb. 
verb  translated  '  gently  lead '  is  specially  used  of  leading  a  flock 
to  the  watering.     Cf.  Exod.  xv.  13  ;  Ps.  xxiii.  a. 

(6)  Verses  12-31  describe  in  language  of  great  sublimity  the 
incomparable  greatness  of  Yahv^eh. 

Verses  12-16  portray  the  unsurpassed  power  and  wisdom  of 
Yahweh,  and  the  utter  inadequacy  of  all  offerings,  in  three  short 
strophes  of  five  lines  each.  The  subject,  however,  is  not  the  same 
as  that  of  verses  6-8.  These  latter,  as  we  have  said,  are  conceived 
in  the  minor  key.  But  the  note  of  sadness  is  entirely  absent  here. 
Accordingly  it  is  impossible  to  see  here  a  continuation  of  the 
theme  of  the  interposed  fragment  verses  6-8. 

12.  The  interrog.  who  in  this  and  the  following  verses  means  : 
What  human  being?  and  anticipates  a  negative  answer.  This 
rhetorical  and  negative  use  of  the  interrogative  is  frequent  in 
Hebrew.  Cf.  Num.  xxiii.  10 :  'Who  has  counted  the  dust  of  Jacob?' 
also  Isa.  li.  19  ;  Job  ix.  12,  &c. 

For  and  comprehended,  &c.,  we  might  render  with  more 
accuracy,  '■  and  hath  measured  out  in  the  tierce-measure  the  dust 
of  the  earth.'  The  tierce-measure  (Cheyne)  means  probably  a 
third  of  an  Ephah,  which  would  amount  to  about  2f  gallons. 

13.  The  Hebrew  word  here,  riiah,  rendered  spirit,  means  the 
mind  of  God,  correctly  rendered  in  the  LXX  version  by  nous.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  mind  of  a  man  is  represented  in  Hebrew  by 
the  word  lebh  (which  is  usually  translated   'heart').     The  last 


ISAIAH  40.  14-17  5,7 

hath  taught  him?  With  whom  took  he  counsel,  and  who  14 
instructed  him,  and  taught  him  in  the  path  of  judgement, 
[and  taught  him  knowledge],  and  shewed  to  him  the  way 
of  understanding  ?  Behold,  the  nations  are  as  a  drop  of  a  15 
bucket,  and  are  counted  as  the  small  dust  of  the  balance: 
behold,  he  taketh  up  the  isles  as  a  very  little  thing.    And  16 
Lebanon  is  not  sufficient  to  burn,  nor  the  beasts  thereof 
sufficient  for  a  burnt  offering.      All  the  nations  are  as  I'j 
nothing  before  him ;  they  are  counted  to  him  less  than 

clause  of  the  verse  is  best  rendered  'and  hath  been  his  counsellor 
that  informs  him,'  or  '  as  his  counsellor  informs  him.' 

14.  It  is  a  distinguishing  characteristic  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah 
that  he  works  out  his  ideas  in  rich  variety  of  phrase.  At  the 
same  time  this  verse  is  overloaded  by  the  colourless  clause  '  and 
taught  him  knowledge,'  which  adds  a  line  in  excess  of  the  five 
which  constitute  the  stanza.  It  is  omitted  in  the  version  of  the 
LXX,  and  should  be  cancelled  out  of  the  text  as  a  gloss. 

15.  'Behold,  the  coast-lands  he  lifts  up  like  fine  motes.' 
Probably  we  have  here  a  reference  to  the  earthquakes  to  which 
the  shores  and  islands  of  Asia  Minor  are  specially  liable  (Ps.  xxix. 
6,  cxiv.  4,  6). 

16.  Yahweh  is  so  great  that  not  all  the  wood  or  all  the  beasts 
on  Lebanon  are  sufficient  to  furnish  a  sacrificial  offering  that  is 
worthy  of  Him. 

xl.  17-20  continue  the  same  line  of  thought,  viz.  of  Yahweh's 
greatness.  He  is  so  exalted  that  no  image  can  be  formed  of  Him. 
Some  critics  ''Oort,  Duhm,  Cheyne,  and  Marti)  consider  that  chap, 
xli.  6,  7  find  their  proper  place  in  this  section — probably  between 
verses  19  and  20.  There  is  much  to  recommend  this  view,  since 
in  chap,  xli  they  are  unrelated  to  the  context  in  which  they 
stand. 

17.  'Less  than  nothing'  is  supported  by  Vitringa,  Clericus, 
Umbreit,  and  other  scholars,  but  this  rendering  is  too  strong  an 
oxymoron  to  be  probable,  though  in  point  of  language  this 
comparative  sense  of  the  Hebrew  preposition  which  precedes  the 
substantive  '  nothing '  is  quite  admissible.  It  is  better  to  follow 
the  ordinary  signification  of  the  Heb.  preposition  and  render  '  of 
nothing,'  i.  e.  formed  of  nothing,  having  no  basis  or  substance. 
We  might  follow  Cheyne  here  and  translate  the  clause  : — 'They 
are  reckoned  by  Him  as  vacancy  and  chaos.'  The  word  Tohi'i  or 
'  chaos '  recalls  the  cosmogony  of  Genesis,  chap.  i.     This  same 


58  ISAIAH  40.  18,  19 

1 8  nothing,  and  vanity.     To  whom  then  will  ye  liken  God? 
iQ  or  what  likeness  will  ye  compare  unto  him  ?  The  graven 


word  occurs  there  in  verse  2,  rendered  '  waste '  in  R.  V.  (in  A.  V. 
'  without  form  ').  In  the  LXX  version  of  the  present  passage  the 
word  is  untranslated.'^    But  metre  requires  its  presence. 

This  verse  is  not  intended  to  describe  God's  entire  indifference 
to  the  nations  of  the  world  owing  to  their  utter  insignificance, 
since  this  would  be  altogether  opposed  to  the  general  conception 
of  Yahweh's  moral  relationship  to  the  races  of  the  world  to  whom 
He  has  destined  Israel  to  be  servant  and  messenger  (xlix.  6)  ;  but 
it  is  intended  to  portray  by  a  strong  image  the  utter  nothingness  of 
men  and  of  nations  in  comparison  with  the  immeasurable  greatness 
of  Yahweh.    A  certain  contrast  with  xlix,  6  nevertheless  exists. 

18.  The  Heb.  copula  here  is  rightly  rendered  in  A.V.  and  R.V. 
by  'then.'  The  word  'compare'  corresponds  to  a  word  in  the 
original  which  means  to  '  set  over  against '  as  counterpart  or 
resemblance.  The  same  verb  is  used  in  Ps.  xl.  6  (A.  V.  5) 
and  Ixxxix.  7  (A.  V.  6).  It  is  here  that  Hebrew  monotheism 
finds  in  the  O.  T.  its  culminating  expression.  It  is  significant 
that  in  this  verse  the  word  for  God  is  neither  Yahweh,  the  special 
national  designation  of  the  God  of  the  Hebrews,  nor  the  current 
plural  form  Elohhn  (which  may  also  be  employed  to  denote 
foreign  deities'),  but  the  universal  Semitic  form  (used  in  Assyrian- 
Babylonian)  as  well  as  Canaanite-Hebrew  El.  This  form  occurs 
here  without  any  addendum  ^,  and  is  found  twelve  times  in  chaps, 
xl-xlviii  expressing  the  universal  God  of  humanity  who  stands 
alone  and  supreme,  inexpressible  in  the  concrete  limited  forms  of 
the  sense-world  (so  Dillmann). 

19.  In  order  to  exhibit  the  absurd  futilit3'  of  representing  God 
by  images,  the  prophet  enters  into  the  trivial  details  of  image 
manufacture. 

*  There  can,  however,  be  hardly  any  question  of  the  genuineness  of 
the  Hebrew  word  toh-A  in  this  passage,  as  it  seems  to  have  been 
a  favourite  expression  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah,  cf.  in  this  chapter 
verse  23,  also  xli.  29,  xliv.  9,  xlv.  18,  19,  xlix.  9. 

'  It  is  frequently  found  with  the  defin.  art.  prefixed  or  compounded 
with  another  form  as  El  'elyon  ('God  Most  High,'  Gen.  xiv.  iS-20) 
or  El  Shaddai.  We  also  find  this  general  Semitic  name  for  God  in 
the  Senjirli  inscriptions  as  an  appellative  name  alongside  of  the  god 
Hadad,  Reshef,  Shamash  (the  Sun)  and  others.  The  Aramaic 
proper  name  Sassariel  =  Sarsariel  =  '  El  is  King  of  Kings,'  points  to 
the  fact  that  El  designates  a  supreme  deity.  See  Baer.tsch, 
Alforientalischer  u.  Israelitischer  Monotheismus,  p.  39  foil.,  and  also 
Jeremias  in  Chantepie  de  la  Saussaye^,  i,  p.  360. 


ISAIAH   10.  20  59 

image,  a  workman  melted  /V,  and  the  goldsmith  spreadeth 
it  over  with  gold,  and  casteth  for  it  silver  chains.     He  20 
that  is  too  impoverished  for  such  an  oblation  chooseth  a 
tree  that  will  not  rot ;  he  seeketh  unto  him  a  cunning 
workman  to  set  up  a  graven  image,  that  shall  not  be 


A  workman  casts  the  image  and  a  smith  plates  it  with  gold  and 
chains  of  silver  he  forges  (?). 

The  last  clause  is  difficult  in  point  of  construction.  In  the  LXX 
we  find  in  place  of  it  the  rendering  of  what  must  have  been  a 
totally  different  text  :  '  He  hath  fashioned  it  as  a  likeness.'  It  is 
quite  possible  that  the  text  at  this  point  became  obliterated 
through  the  loss  of  the  two  verses,  which  may  be  recovered  in 
xli.  6,  7  and  obviously  fit  into  this  connexion.^ 

'One  aids  the  other,  and  to  his  comrade  says:  *•  Set-to "' [///.  '"be 
strong"],  and  the  workman  encourages  the  forger — he  who 
beats  smooth  with  the  hammer  him  who  strikes  the  anvil, 
saying  of  the  soldering  "  'tis  good" — and  fixes  it  with  nails 
that  it  shift  not.' 

20.  But  there  are  many  who  are  too  poor  to  afford  the  expense 
of  a  metal-plated  image.  These  have  recourse  to  wood,  and  a 
workman  to  set  up  the  image.     Translate  : — 

'  He  that  is  too  poor  -  (to  erect)  a  dedication-offering  chooses  r.n- 

^  The  first  to  suggest  the  transposition  of  these  verses  into  this 
their  true  place  appears  to  have  been  Lagarde,  who  perceived  the  true 
relevance  of  xli.  7 ;  Oort  places  them  after  verse  20,  but  in  this  verse 
the  writer  proceeds  to  speak  of  a  "ivooden  image,  whereas  xli.  7 
obviously  deals  with  a  metal-plated  image.  Its  due  place  is  evidently 
before  verse  20,  and  follows  naturally  on  verse  19. 

"^  It  must  be  confessed  that  the  word  so  rendered  in  the  original  is 
extremely  doubtful.  The  LXX  in  their  text  appear  to  have  had 
nothing  to  correspond  either  to  it  or  to  the  word  *  dedication-offering ' 
{t^rii7nah)  which  follows.  They  translate :  '  A  workman  chooses 
undecaying  timber,  and  will  cleverly  seek  how  he  shall  place  his 
image  and  that  it  shall  not  totter.'  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  possible 
that  Duhm  is  right  in  supposing  that  the  omitted  words  in  the  LXX 
correspond  to  the  words  '  he  hath  fashioned  it  as  a  likeness  '  [o/xo/o;//a 
(=  rw^nn)  Karean^vaffiv  avT6v\  which  stand  in   the  LXX  at  the 

close  of  the  immediately  preceding  verse  19  and  occupy  the  place  of 
the  clause  *  chains  of  silver  he  forges,'  for  which  there  is  nothing 
equivalent  in  their  version.  Duhm  endeavours  to  reconstruct  the 
Hebrew  text,  which  is  rendered  '  He  that  is  too  poor  to  erect  a  dedi- 


6o  ISAIAH  40.  2  1,  2  2 

2x  moved.  Have  ye  not  known  ?  have  ye  not  heard?  hath 
it  not  been  told  you  from  the  beginning?   have  ye  not 

22  understood  from  the  foundations  of  the  eartli?  //  is  he 
that  sitteth  upon  the  circle  of  the  earth,  and  the  inhabitants 
thereof  are  as  grasshoppers ;  that  stretcheth  out  the  heavens 
as  a  curtain,  and  spreadeth  them  out  as  a  tent  to  dwell  in  : 


decaying  timber,  seeks  out  for  himself  a  skilled  workman — to 

erect  a  carved  image  that  does  not  totter.* 

The  same  theme  is  handled  in  greater  detail  in  chap.  xHv.  9-20. 

Verses  21-26  resume  the  thread  of  the  same  topic  as  verses 

12-16  above,  and  portray  God's  supreme  place  and  power  over 

the  world  and  its  inhabitants. 

21.  For  Have  ye  not  known,  &c.,  substitute  the  present  tenses 
which  correspond  to  the  Hebrew  imperf.  'know  j'e  not— hear 
ye  not  ...  No  further  emendation  in  the  translation  of  the  R.  V. 
is  necessary.  It  is  quite  true  that  our  Hebrew  text,  which  is 
here  sustained  by  the  ancient  versions  LXX,  Pesh.,  and  Vulg., 
requires  us  to  render  with  R,  V.  marg.  '  Have  ye  not  understood 
the  foundation  of  the  earth '  (i.  e.  its  creation  by  Yahweh),  but 
this  rendering,  though  modern  scholars  (Gesenius,  Hitzig,  and 
Delitzsch)  have  supported  it,  is  hardly  probable,  since  (a)  it  spoils 
the  parallelism  of  the  verse :  '  from  the  beginning  .  .  .  from  the 
foundation  of  the  earth ' ;  (b)  the  omission  of  the  Hebrew  pre- 
position '  =  'from')  is  shown  to  be  exceedingly  likely  when  we 
observe  the  close  collocation  of  the  same  consonants  in  the 
original  text. 

22.  The  character  of  the  supreme  God  is  described  in  a  series 
of  participles,  a  mode  of  expression  to  which  the  Dcutero-Isaiah 
is  partial  (also  in  Job). 

' 'Tis  He  who  sits  enthroned  (partic.)  above  the  circle  of  the 

earth — while  its  inhabitants  are  as  locusts  (or  grasshoppers) 

who   stretches   out   like    fine   gauze    the  heavens — and   has 

extended  them  as  a  tent  to  dwell  in.' 

This  conception  of  the  world  as  a  circle  or  disc  appears  to  be 

late    (cf.    Job   xxii.    14 ;    Prov.    viii.    27,  in    which  we  have  the 

conceptions    of  the   two  discs  corresponding   to  one  another  as 

counterparts,  the  circle  of  the  earth  and  that  of  the  vaulted  sky\ 

cation  offering,'  and  translates  his  emended  text,  *  He  who  carves  an 
image  chooses  undecaying  timber';  but  it  is  useless  to  weary  the 
reader  with  the  unending  discussions  about  this  doubtful  passage, 
which  have  gone  on  ever  since  the  days  of  Mirhaelis  and  even  reach 
hack  to  the  time  of  Jerome. 


ISAIAH  40.  23-26  6i 

that  bringeth  princes  to  nothing  ;  lie  maketh  the  judges  23 
of  the  earth  as  vanity.    Yea,  they  have  not  been  planted  ;  24 
yea,  they  have  not  been  sown ;  yea,  their  stock  hath  not 
taken  root  in  the  earth  :  moreover  he  blovveth  upon  them, 
and  they  wither,  and  the  whirlwind  taketh  them  away  as 
stubble.      To  whom  then  will  ye  liken  me,  that  I  should  25 
be  equal  to  him}  saith  the  Holy  One.    Lift  up  your  eyes  26 
on  high,  and  see  who  hath  created  these,  that  bringeth  out 
their  host  by  number :  he  calleth  them  all  by  name ;  by 

See  art.  'Cosmogony'  in  Hastings'  D.B.,  p.  503,  right-hand  col., 
where  it  will  be  seen  from  the  appended  diagram  how  «aturall3' 
to  the  ancient  Semite  such  a  conception  arose.  To  God,  enthroned 
far  above  the  earth,  the  crowds  of  human  inhabitants  seemed  to 
move  on  the  earth's  surface  like  swarms  of  locusts  (or  grass- 
hoppers}. The  simile  was  no  unfamiliar  one  to  the  Hebrew  ; 
cf.  Num.  xiii.  33.  The  locust  or  grasshopper  was  used  to 
express  the  conception  of  insignificance  and  feebleness. 

23.  '  Who  makes  potentates  into  nought.'  The  downfall  of 
such  rulers  as  Astyages  king  of  Media  and  Croesus  king  of  Lydia 
before  the  irresistible  power  of  God's  chosen  instrument,  the 
Persian  Cyrus  king  of  the  province  ofAnshan  (or  Anzan),  were 
events  that  were  vividly  present  to  the  mind  of  the  writer  of  these 
words.  They  were  catastrophes  of  his  recent  experience.  They 
furnish  a  subtle  and  subsidiary  confirmation  of  the  theory  that  as- 
signs the  composition  of  these  chapters  to  some  date  between  550 
and  538  B.  c. 

24.  The  R.  V.  (marg.)  brings  out  more  clearly  the  idiomatic 
significance  : — '  Scarce  are  they  planted,  scarce  are  they  sown  . .  . 
when  He  bloweth  on  them,  and  they  dry  up,  and  a  whirlwind 
carrieth  them  off  like  stubble.' 

25.  The  word  for  Holy  One  here  in  Hebrew  is  the  adjectivfe 
kddosh  without  a  definite  article.  As  an  adjective  it  occurs  in 
Isa.  vi  in  the  cry  of  the  Seraphim,  and  also  in  the  favourite  expres- 
sion '  H0I3'  one  of  Israel.'  But  here  it  seems  to  have  hardened 
into  a  kind  of  proper  name  somewhat  like  Hebrew  El  or  Greek 
6eu$  without  the  article.  We  have  a  similar  use  of  ^adosh  in 
Job  vi.  10  ;  Hab.  iii.  3. 

26.  Look  to  the  stars  on  high  and  ask  who  made  them.  Then 
the  utter  futility  of  images  and  image-worship  becomes  evident. 

The  Hebrew  word  bard  for  God's  creative  activity',  which  is 
employed  here  ('  hath  created  ')  and  elsewhere  in  Deutero-Isaiah, 
begins   about    this   time  to    be   employed   as  a   current   term    in 


62  ISAIAH  40.  27 

the  greatness  of  his  might,  and  for  that  he  is  strong  in 
power,  not  one  is  lacking. 
27      Why  sayest  thou,  O  Jacob,  and  speakest,  O  Israel,  My 

Hebrew  literature.^  It  is  used  in  the  post-exiliati  creation-story 
of  Gen.  chap,  i  i^Priestercodex^,  and  also  in  the  late  non-Isaianic 
conclusion  of  Isa.  chap.  iv.  5,  6.  In  the  pre-exilian  or  Yahwistic 
creation-account  in  Gen.  ii.  46  foil.  God's  formative  activity  in  the 
creation  of  the  world  is  expressed  by  other  words. 

The  conception  of  the  stars  as  a  heavenly  martial  retinue — an 
army  which  in  some  mysterious  way  fought  in  Yahweh's  (i.  e. 
Israel's)  wars — was  familiar  to  the  Hebrews  in  the  old  pre-exilian 
days.  Hence  Yahweh  was  called  God  of  Hosts  {Sebdoth).  Cf, 
Judges  V.  4,  20  and  see  note  in  vol.  i  on  Isa.  i.  10  (p.  92).  These 
stars  are  marshalled  and  led  forth  at  their  rising  ^  according  to 
number.'  As  though  each  member  stood  upon  a  muster-roll,  each 
one  is  summoned  by  name. 

The  construction  of  the  closing  part  of  this  verse  is  obscure. 
If  we  follow  the  versions  (including  LXX)  we  shall  render  : 
'  Owing  to  great  power  and  strong  might  {lit.  might  of  strength) 
not  one  falls  behind.'  This  involves  a  slightly  different  punctua- 
tion from  that  of  our  Hebrew  text  (omes,  '  might,'  being  read  in 
place  o(  ammis,  '  mighty,'  in  our  text).  Yahweh's  mighty  power 
controls  each  member  of  the  host  so  that  none  fails  to  be  in  his 
place  and  perform  his  part.  We  prefer  this  to  the  rendering  of 
Duhm,  which  is  based  on  an  insignificant  change  in  the  Hebrew 
text :  '  To  *  (Jit.  ''  from  ")  Him  who  is  great  in  power  and  mighty 
in  strength  none  is  missing,'  as  though  they  were  revolting  from 
His  authority, 

27-31  are  the  poet's  reassuring  answer  to  a  possible  objection. 

'  We  find  it  also  in  Deut.  iv.  32.  It  should  be  noted  that  it 
occurs  also  in  Amos  iv.  13,  which  Nowack,  as  might  be  expected, 
regards  as  a  later  addition  to  the  oracles  of  the  prophet.  It  is,  how- 
ever, very  doubtful  whether  we  are  justified  in  refusing  to  ascribe  to 
the  prophet  these  and  other  passages  expressing  cosmic  conceptions, 
e.  g.  viii.  8  and  ix.  5,  6.  These  universal  cosmic  conceptions  re- 
specting Yahweh  certainly  prevailed  in  the  time  of  Amos :  cf.  the 
earlier  Yahwistic  creation  account  in  Gen.  ii.  4  b  foil.  We  have 
also  parallels  in  the  monotheistic  tendencies  of  Babylonian  and 
Egyptian  religion  :  cf.  Jeremias,  Monotheistische  Strdmungen  imier" 
halb  der  Babyl.  Religion,  and  Baentsch,  Monotheismus. 

^  Or  we  might  render  'owing  to  him  who  is  great,  &:c.,'  i.  e.  owing 
to  the  influence  He  exerts  or  the  awe  felt  for  Him,  which  is  a  more 
satisfactory  translation  of  Duhni's  slightly  amended  text  {rabli,  adj. 
'great,*  in  place  of  n'bh,  *  grcatnets ';. 


ISAIAH  40.  2S-31  63 

way  is  hid  from  the  Lord,  and  my  judgement  is  passed 
away  from  my  God?  Hast  thou  not  known?  hast  thou  not  28 
heard  ?  the  everlasting  God,  the  Lord,  the  Creator  of  the 
ends  of  the  earthy  fainteth  not,  neither  is  weary ;  there  is 
no  searching  of  his  understanding.      He  giveth  power  to  29 
the  faint ;  and  to  him  that  hath  no  might  he  increaseth 
strength.     Even  the  youths  shall  faint  and  be  weary,  and  30 
the  young  men  shall  utterly  fa  11:  but  they  that  wait  upon  the  31 

If  God  be  so  vast,  the  Maker  of  the  great  vault  of  stars,  and  I  am 
one  of  the  crowd  of  human  grasshoppers  beneath  Him,  how  can 
m}'  individual  existence  be  observed  or  cared  for  by  Him  ?  The 
thought  is  analogous  to  that  of  Ps.  viii.  3,  4,  but  the  answer  here 
breathes  a  deeper  note  of  Divine  tenderness. 

27.  My  -way  is  hid,  i.  e.  My  course  of  life  and  all  its  interests 
pass  unnoticed  by  Yahweh.  The  latter  clause  should  be  translated, 
*  My  right  passes  by  unheeded  by  my  God.'  Yahweh  is  conceived 
as  an  august  potentate  who  judges  causes.  Israel  comes  as  a 
poverty-stricken  suitor,  but  is  too  insignificant  for  notice.  Israel's 
sorrows,  his  bhghted  national  hopes,  his  exile  and  oppression, 
render  such  a  mood  of  doubt  and  despair  only  too  natural. 

28.  The  prophet  expostulates  with  these  doubts.  This  entire 
series  of  oracles  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah  is  intended  to  rouse  the 
Jews  from  their  mood  of  despair  to  one  of  faith  in  Yahweh  and 
confidence  in  His  sustaining  love  and  saving  might.  The  ex- 
postulation assumes  the  interrogative  form  as  in  verse  21  above. 

Translate,  with  R.  V.  marg.,  '  Yahweh  is  an  everlasting  God — 
Creator  of  the  ends  of  the  earth.'  The  last  clause  is  idiomatically 
translated,  '  His  understanding  is  unsearchable.'  He  is  not  too 
weary  to  attend  to  your  need.  His  all-penetrating  intelligence 
takes  cognizance  of  your  case.  The  following  verses  show  that 
this  is  the  real  drift  of  the  prophet's  words  in  this  verse. 

29.  This  verse  begins  with  a  participial  form  to  which  the 
writer  is  evidently  partial.  This  changes  at  the  end  of  the  verse  to 
the  finite  verb.  '  Giving  to  the  weary  strength  and  to  the  powerless 
increases  might'  would  be  a  literal  rendering.  See  Davidson's 
Syntax,  §  100  (e)  and  rem.  4.  The  subject  is  Yahweh,  who  not 
onlj'  possesses  boundless  strength  Himself,  but  endows  the  weak 
with  it.      This  theme  is  unfolded  in  the  following  verses. 

30.  The  Hebrew  imperfects  in  this  verse  should  be  treated  as 
concessive.     Render  : — 

'  Though  (even)  youths  are  weary  and  faint,  and  (even)  young 
men  actually  stumble, 


64  ISAIAH  41.  1 

Lord  shall  renew  their  strength  ;  they  shall  mount  up 
with  wings  as  eagles ;  they  shall  run,  and  not  be  weary ; 
they  shall  walk,  and  not  faint. 
41      Keep  silence  before  me,  O  islands ;  and  let  the  peoples 


31.  Yel  those  who  hope  in  Yahweh  shall  acquire  fresh 
strength— they  shall  put  forth  fresh  pinions  HUe  eagles.' 

The  rendering  of  A.  V.  and  R.  V.  mount  up  with  wing's 
(properly  *  wing-feathers,'  'pinions,')  involves  the  construction  of 
the  instrumental  accusative  in  the  Hebrew  (viz.  'wings,'  which  has 
no  preposition  before  it  in  the  original)  after  the  verb  '  mount.' 
This  is  not  so  probable  as  the  interpretation  which  regards  the 
verb  as  a  causative  in  Hebrew  (i.e.  Hif'il)  and  'wings'  as  the 
accusative  governed  by  it.  We  may  then  either  render  (a)  *  They 
will  lift  up  the  pinions  as  eagles,'  i.  e.  in  flight,  the  interpretation  of 
theTarg.,Gesenius,  Hitzig,  and  Delitzsch ;  or  (b) '  cause  new  pinions 
to  grow  (or  put  forth  new  pinions)  like  the  eagle.'  This  is  the 
translation  of  the  LXX  (nrepocpv-qffovai)  and  Vulg.,  and  has  been 
followed  by  Lowth,  Eichhorn,  Ewald,  Duhm,  and  most  recent 
commentators.  The  simple  or  kal  form  oi  the  Hebrew  verb 
frequently  bears  the  meaning  '  grow,'  chap.  Iv.  13  ;  Gen.  xl.  10, 
xli.  22  ;  Deut.  xxix.  22,  &c.  Consequently  the  causative  would 
have  the  meaning  here  assigned  to  it. 

Chapter  XLI 

is  a  continuation  of  the  theme  of  the  preceding  chapter.  It  is  an 
argument  to  show  Yahweh's  supremacy  and  the  vanity  of  other 
gods.  His  providential  care  for  His  people  is  signalized  by  his 
summons  to  the  conqueror  Cyrus,  who  is  to  be  Israel's  deliverer. 

Verses  1-5  describe  the  summons  of  the  nations  to  a  controversy 
between  them  and  Yahweh  whether  it  is  they  or  He  who  has 
called  Cyrus  forth  on  his  career  of  conquest. 

1.  Keep  silence  before  me  is  scarcely  correct.  The  original  is 
properly  '  Be  silent  unto  me,'  which  is  a  pregnant  form  of 
expression,  and  means  *  Turn  yourselves  in  silence  to  me,'  or  '  Be 
silent  and  listen  tome'  (Duhm).  For  'islands'  we  should  substi- 
tute the  more  generic  term  '  coastlands '  (in  which  islands  are 
included).  The  LXX  had  a  slightly  different  text  before  them, 
and  in  place  of  '  keep  silence '  rendered  their  variant  '  be  ye 
renewed  '  [?].  Lowth  and  Oort  follow  them,  but  it  is  hard  to  extract 
a  satisfactory  meaning.  Apparently  the  thought  is  that  the  coast- 
lands   arc    to   renew   their   strength   for   another   meeting   with 


ISAIAH  41.  2  65 

renew  their  strength  :  let  them  come  near ;  then  let  them 
speak :  let  us  come  near  together  to  judgement.     Who  2 
hath  raised  up  one  from  the  east,  whom  he  calleth  in 
righteousness  to  his  foot  ?  he  giveth  nations  before  him, 
and  maketh  him  rule  over  kings ;  he  giveth  them  as  the 


Yahweh  after  that  to  which  xl.  15  refers.  But  this  is  a  far-fetched 
conception,  though  it  seems  to  harmonize  with  the  following 
parallel  clause,  '  let  the  peoples  renew  their  strength.'  But  this 
expression  '  renew  their  strength  '  looks  as  though  taken  over  by 
a  copyist  into  this  verse  from  the  preceding  (the  closing  verse  of 
the  previous  chapter).  T/iere  the  expression  is  appropriate  as 
applied  to  the  pious  Jews  of  the  exile,  who  were  weary  and 
depressed  and  needed  a  word  of  comfort  ;  here  the  same  expres- 
sion when  applied  to  foreign  peoples  is  not  so  easily  intelligible. 
Various  emendations  have  been  proposed.  Duhm  suggests 
another  reading  in  the  second  edition  of  his  commentary, '  And  ye 
peoples  wait  before  me,'  which  is  in  accord  with  the  parallelism  of 
the  following  line  :  '  Let  them  approach,  then  speak  ;  let  us  come 
near  together  to  judgment.'  The  word  judg-ment  here  is  used 
in  the  same  sense  that  it  bears  in  other  passages,  viz.  a  suit  or 
process  at  law  before  a  tribunal :  Judges  iv.  5  ;  Mai.  iii.  5. 

2.  Though  Cyrus  is  not  mentioned  here  by  name  as  in  xliv. 
28  and  chap,  xlv,  it  is  obvious  that  he  is  the  man  whom  God 
'  has  awakened  (or  roused  up)  from  the  east.'  The  translation  of 
the  following  clause  should  be  amended  as  in  R.  V.  (marg.)  : 
'  whom  right  encounters  in  his  steps.'  The  word  '  right '  here, 
when  used  in  connexion  with  war,  means  in  reality  victory,  whereby 
a  man  secures  his  right  ;  cf.  the  remarks  in  the  Introduction,  p.  37. 
The  verse  refers  to  the  victory  which  attended  the  onward  career 
of  Cyrus.  His  conquests  may  indeed  have  already  begun.  For  we 
know  that  between  the  years  553  and  550  he  conquered  Astyages 
(Ishtuvegu  or  Ishtumegu),  king  of  Media,  and  in  the  years  that 
followed  extended  his  conquests  to  Lydia.  It  is,  therefore,  almost 
certain  that  some  time  subsequent  to  the  year  550  marks  the  date 
when  this  prophecy  of  comfort  (chaps,  xl,  xli)  was  composed  in 
which  it  is  announced  in  general  terms  that  God  had  stirred  up  in 
the  east  (in  Media)  a  victorious  warrior.  The  Targum  fails  in 
historic  insight  when  it  identifies  this  personage  with  Abraham. 
This  view  of  the  passage,  however,  was  adopted  by  the  mediaeval 
Jewish  expositors  Rashi,  Kimhi,  and  others.  Cyril  and  Jerome 
fail  even  worse  in  Identifying  him  with  Jesus  Christ.  The  subject 
is  discussed  at  length  and  with  sound  results  by  Rosenmaller  in 
his  Scholia. 


66  ISAIAH  41.  3,4 

3  dust  to  his  sword,  as  the  driven  stubble  to  his  bow.     He 
pursueth  them,  and  passeth  on  safely ;  even  by  a  way  that 

4  he  had  not  gone  with  his  feet.     Who  hath  wrought  and 

The  question  should  be  continued  in  the  lines  that  follow  : — 

*  surrenders     nations    to    him     [///.     before     him] — brings 
monarchs  low^  ; 
whose  sword  makes  them  ^  asdust — his  bowlike  driven  chaff  ?' 

The  *  driven  chaff '  means  the  chaff  driven  by  the  wind  in  the 
process  of  winnowing  the  corn,  a  metaphor  derived  from  agricultural 
operations  frequently  occurring  in  the  O.  T.  Cf.  Jar.  xiii.  24  ; 
Ps.  Ixxxiii.  13  (14  Heb.),  and  Primer  of  Hebrew  Antiquities,  p.  pafoll. 
There  is  no  reason  whatever  for  making  the  interrogative  cease 
with  the  clause  '  brings  monarchs  low.'  It  is  continued  in  the 
following  line,  which  is  a  relative  sentence  descriptive  of  Cyrus. 

3.  The  description  still  continues.  '  He  pursues  them,  passes 
on  in  security.'  The  words  '  in  security  '  are  the  rendering  of 
the  Hebrew  word  shdlom,  'well-being,'  '  security,' '  peace,'  which 
stands  here  as  an  adverbial  accusat.  (Gesenius-Kautzsch,  Heb. 
Grant.'-^,  §  118.  5  ;  Ewald,  AusfUhrliches  Lehrbuch,  §  204  b).  The 
clause  that  follows  may  be  rendered  either  '  by  a  track  which  he 
doth  not  enter  (usually)  with  his  feet '  (i.  e.  the  conqueror  in 
his  march  ignores  the  usual  beaten  tracks),  or '  a  path  with  his  feet 
he  doth  not  tread,'  i.e.  so  rapidly  does  he  pass  on  his  way  that 
he  scarcely  seems  to  touch  the  ground  with  his  feet,  but  seems  to 
fly  over  it.  Cf.  Dan.  viii.  5.  Either  rendering  is  possible. 
Assyrian  conquerors  took  a  pride  in  describing  their  marches 
through  mountains  or  difficult  country.  In  Sennacherib's  prism- 
inscription,  col.  i,  66  foil.,  he  describes  how  he  rode  on  horseback 
through  lofty  mountain  regions  and  '  climbed  on  foot  a  steep  place 
like  a  wild  ox '  ;  and  in  col.  iv.  70  foil,  he  describes  an  expedition 
against  a  city  Kana  which  is  compared  to  the  '  nest  of  an  eagle, 
the  king  of  birds,'  on  the  summit  of  a  steep  mountain  ;  in  line 
77  foil,  he  states  that  he  *  descended  from  his  palanquin  in  spots 
which  were  too  steep  and  mounted  the  lofty  peaks  on  foot  like  a 
gazelle.' 

4.  The  preceding  interrogation  is  resumed  in  the  final  question  : 
'  Who  hath  wrought  it  and  done  it '  ?  i.  e.  has  summoned  forth  this 

^  Reading  the  Hebrew  text  as  yMd  with  Hitzig  instead  of  the 
Massoretic  punctuation. 

^  Reading  tittnem  in  place  of  yitten  in  our  text  which  hardly 
gives  a  satisfactory  sense.  The  same  verbal  form  {tittnem)  '  makes 
them '  must  be  understood  in  the  second  clause  of  the  line  with 
kashtd,  *  his  bow.' 


ISAIAH  41.5  67 

done  it,  calling  the  generations  from  the  beginning  ?  I  the 
Lord,  the  first,  and  with  the  last,  I  am  he.    The  isles  saw,  5 
and  feared ;  the  ends  of  the  earth  trembled :  they  drew 

conqueror  to  his  great  world- subduing  career.  The  answer 
immediately  follows  : — '  He  who  summons  the  generations  from 
the  beginning,  I,  Yahweh,  the  first  and  with  the  last,  I  am  the 
same  ^'  The  rendering  supplied  above  by  the  R.  V.  should  be 
abandoned  for  that  which  is  here  given,  since  it  fails  to  distinguish 
aright  between  question  and  answer.  We  have  here  the  reiter- 
ation of  the  eternity  of  Yahweh  contained  in  xl.  28.  Much  the 
same  conception  in  somewhat  similar  form  occurs  in  xliii.  10.  The 
idea  of  Divine  permanence  which  underlies  the  momentous 
interpretation  of  the  name  contained  in  the  significant  passage 
Exod.  iii.  14  (E)  was  probably  known  to  the  writer  of  these 
chapters. 

5.  This  verse  is  regarded  by  Duhm,  Cheyne,  and  Marti  as  a 
later  insertion.  Duhm  considers  that  it  was  intended  to  link 
verses  6  and  7  to  verses  1-4.  But  as  a  matter  of  fact  this  verse 
forms  no  such  link.  The  following  verses  come  in  most  unnatural 
sequence.  On  the  other  hand,  Marti's  assertion  that  there  is  no 
connexion  between  verse  5  and  the  preceding  verses  is  untrue. 
The  *  coastlands  '  or  islands  of  verse  i  reappear  in  this  closing 
verse  after  the  address  of  Yahweh.  They  have  witnessed  with 
awe  the  wonderful  career  of  the  conqueror  whom  Yahweh  has 
summoned  from  the  east.  They  are  told  in  verse  i  to  come  to  the 
judgment-seat.  In  verse  5  the  command  is  executed.  Lastly, 
the  metric  form  is  the  same,  viz.  two  long  hnes  each  consisting  of 
two  members.  In  the  second  line  the  second  member  has 
probably  been  lost  and  is  conjecturally  restored  by  Duhm  : — 

'  The  coast-lands  have  seen  (it)  and  feared — the  ends  of  the 
earth  trembled. 

They  drew  near  and  came— [together  to  contend  in  judgment].' 

The  latter  portion  of  the  second  line  seems  to  have  been  partially 
if  not  wholly  preserved  in  the  Hebrew  copies  used  by  the  LXX  ^. 

*  So  the  Heb.  pronoun  (=*he')  should  be  idiomatically  rendered; 
see  Ewald,  Syntax  of  the  Heb.  Lang.  (T.  &  T.  Clark),  §  314  b.  The 
pronoun  'expresses  the  Divine  consciousness  of  Himself  (Davidson, 
Heb.  Syntax,  §  106  d,  rem.  2),  as  the  permanent  underlying  person- 
ality.    Comp.  xliii.  10,  13;  xlvi.  4,  xlviii.  12;  Ps.  cii.  27  (28  Heb.). 

2  a^a  Kpivojv,  the  latter  word  standing  at  the  beginning  of  verse  6. 
The  LXX  evidently  read  the  Hebrew  word  for  foreign  nations  instead 
of  the  word  for  '  coastlands '  (or  *  isles ')  in  our  text.  This  was  not 
improbably  the  original  reading,  and  is  an  echo  of  the  *  peoples '  of 
verse  i.     A  significant  parallel  occurs  in  Isa.  Ix.  9  (comp.  Jer.  iii.  17). 

F    2 


68  ISAIAH  41.  6-8 

6  near,  and  came.     They  helped  every  one  his  neighbour ; 

and  every  one  said  to  his  brother,  Be  of  good  courage. 
1  So  the  carpenter  encouraged  the  goldsmith,  and  he  that 

smootheth  with  the  hammer  him  that  smiteth  the  anvil, 

saying  of  the  soldering,  It  is  good  :  and  he  fastened  it 

with  nails,  that  it  should  not  be  moved. 
8      But  thou,  Israel,  my  servant,  Jacob  whom  I  have  chosen. 

When  the  text  is  thus  completely  restored  as  Duhm  ingeniously 
proposes,  verse  5  becomes  an  exact  counterpart  to  verse  1  and 
comes  appropriately  after  the  address  of  Yahweh  respecting  Cyrus. 
The  defective  text  at  the  close  seems  to  indicate  a  serious  gap  in 
the  manuscript. 

6-7.  This  gap  is  evidently  filled  up  by  two  misplaced  verses 
which  have  been  restored  to  their  true  position  after  xl.  19,  where 
they  have  been  already  treated  in  the  commentary.  How  they 
came  to  be  separated  from  their  actual  context  we  need  not  pause 
to  inquire.  Hebrew  documents  were  written  on  very  rough  and 
rude  materials,  whether  skins  or  papyrus,  detached  portions  of 
which  might  easily  go  astray.  We  have  already  had  occasion  to 
notice  (see  vol.  i)  how  the  conclusion  of  the  beautiful  poem, 
Isa.  ix.  8  (7  Heb.)  foil.,  is  to  be  found  at  the  end  of  chap.  v. 
Similarly,  Ps.  xix  consists  of  two  quite  distinct  poems  pieced 
together,  and  Ps.  x  has  a  great  gap  in  its  alphabetic  arrangement 
of  verses  which  is  filled  up  from  another  source  by  a  later  hand. 
These  are  but  a  few  examples  out  of  many  which  warn  the  reader 
not  to  expect  modern  literary  conditions  or  continuity  in  ancient 
Hebrew  documents  that  have  passed  through  many  historic 
vicissitudes  and  repeated  redactional  treatment.  Very  arbitrary 
reasons— such  as  the  occurrence  of  a  chance  phrase— sometimes 
determined  the  succession  of  the  various  fragments  which  the 
Hebrew  editor  arranged  together.  Here  the  determining  cause 
appears  to  have  been  the  '  dread  '  of  which  verse  5  speaks,  and  the 
help  which  one  extends  to  the  other,  and  the  exhortation  '  Be  of 
good  courage '  ('  set-to  ').  But  these  are  very  superficial  and 
arbitrary  points  of  contact.     Cf.  remarks  on  xlii.  10-13  below. 

Verses  8-20,  which  certainly  fall  into  distinct  parts,  viz.  {a) 
verses  8-10,  {h)  verses  11-16,  and  (c)  verses  17-20,  may  be  regarded 
as  forming  collectively  a  message  of  comfort  and  encouragement 
to  Israel.  Verses  11-16  form  a  special  group  which  will  be 
separately  considered. 

8.  But  thou  stands  in  opposition  to  the  foreign  peoples  to  whom 
reference  is  made  in  verses  i  and  5.  Accordingly  there  seems  to 
be  a  link  of  connexion  with   1-5,  though,  as  already  indicated, 


ISAIAH  41.  9  69 

the  seed  of  Abraham  my  friend ;  thou  whom  I  have  taken  9 
hold  of  from  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  called  thee  from 
the  corners  thereof,  and  said  unto  thee,  Thou  art  my 

there  appears  to  be  a  gap  in  the  original  filled  up  by  the  intruded 
verses  6  and  7.  Israel  is  here  for  the  first  time  in  the  Deutero- 
Isaianic  section  called  YahweK's  servant.  The  term  is  also 
applied  to  Israel,  in  the  sense  in  which  it  is  employed  here,  in 
Jer.  XXX.  ID  (om.  by  LXX.  Both  it  and  xlvi.  27  are  recognized 
by  critics  as  written  by  a  later  hand).  Probably  its  distinctive 
application  to  Israel  (Jacob)  was  due  to  Ezekiel  (xxviii.  25, 
xxxvii.  25).  The  mention  of  Abraham  here  (cf.  li.  2)  is  character- 
istic of  the  exile  and  subsequent  periods  of  Jewish  history  which 
became  reminiscent  of  the  national  past  and  treasured  the  names 
of  the  patriarchs  (see  note  on  Isa.  xxix.  22  in  vol.  i).  This 
epithet  bestowed  on  Abraham  as  Yahweh's  '  lover  '  or  '  friend  '  is 
re-echoed  in  later  literature  (2  Chron.  xx.  7  ;  James  ii.  23),  and  in 
the  Koran,  iv.  124,  where  Muhammad  exalts  the  faith  of  Abraham, 
the  Hanif,  whom  *  God  took  as  friend '  {Haiti).  From  this 
passage  in  the  Koran,  as  well  as  the  general  tradition,  Abraham 
obtains  in  Islam  at  the  present  day  the  title  *  friend  of  God ' 
(Halil'  Ullahi)  or  *  the  friend '  (al  Halilu).  The  references  in  the 
Deutero-Isaiah  to  the  patriarchs  (cf.  li.  2),  as  well  as  those 
contained  in  Ezekiel  (xiv.  14,  &c.),  render  it  probable  that  the 
earlier  pre-exilian  narratives  contained  in  the  Yahwistic  and 
Elohist  documents  (JE)  were  read  and  pondered  by  the  more 
thoughtful  minds  in  Israel. 

The  balance  of  clauses  would  require  a  parallel  clause  to  follow 
'  Seed  of  Abraham  my  friend '  corresponding  to  the  parallel 
clauses  respecting '  Israel . . .  Jacob.'  In  all  probability  the  parallel 
clause  respecting  Abraham  has  been  lost. 

9.  The  call  of  Abraham  from  Haran  (cf.  Gen.  xii.  1-5)  is 
evidently  the  reference  of  the  words  ends  of  the  earth.  We 
might  compare  the  same  poetic  expression  in  Isa.  v.  26,  *  end  of 
the  earth  1.'  Even  in  the  days  of  the  exile  the  geographical 
horizon  of  an  inhabitant  of  Babylonia  or  Palestine  would  be  a  very 
limited  one,  and  relative  distances  were  not  nicely  discriminated. 
Gesenius  and  Hitzig,  and  recently  Orelli,  supposed  that  the 
reference  of  the  phrase  was  to  Egypt,  but  nearly  all  the  best 
recent  authorities  (Cheyne,  Duhm,  Marti,  &c.)  sustain  the  opinion 
of  Rosenmuller,  Ewald,and  Delitzsch  that  the  call  of  Abraham  from 
Haran  is  the  event  to  which  allusion  is  here  made.  We  have 
a  similar  reference  to  ancient  Hebrew  origins  in  Deut.  xxvi.  5. 

*  Similarly  'distant  parts  of  the  earth,'  in  Isa.  viii.  y. 


70  ISAIAH  41.  lo 

lo  servant,  I  have  chosen  thee  and  not  cast  thee  away ;  fear 
thou  not,  for  I  am  with  thee ;  be  not  dismayed,  for  I  am 
thy  God :  I  will  strengthen  thee;  yea,  I  will  help  thee;  yea, 
I  will  uphold  thee  with  the  right  hand  of  my  righteousness. 

The  word  rendered  corners  here  is  certainly  obscure.  In 
Hebrew  it  is  the  plural  of  dstl,  and  must  not  be  confused  with  a 
word  of  exactly  the  same  form  meaning  '  nobles '  used  in  Exod. 
xxiv.  II.  Here  the  word  seems  to  mean  'extremities^,'  i.e. 
distant  portions. 

10.  Owing  to  God's  definite  choice  of  Israel  there  is  no  room 
for  fear.  The  old  Immaiiuel  message  delivered  nearly  two  centuries 
ago  (Isa.  vii,  viii)  is  now  re-echoed — I  am  with  thee.  The 
rendering  '  be  not  dismayed '  is  based  on  the  usually  accepted 
explanation  of  the  reflexive  (Hithpael)  form  in  the  original  '  look 
on  one  another'  (in  amazed  wonder  or  dread) ^  The  same  form 
occurs  again  in  verse  23  (in  the  ist  pers.  plur.)  in  the  sense 
which  it  bears  here,  '  be  amazed  '  or  dumbfounded  (LXX  sustain 
this  rendering). 

The  Perfects  in  the  original  express  the  absolute  certainty  of 
what  Yahweh  declares,  '  I  strengthen  thee,  yea,  help  thee,' 
The  R.  V.  expresses  the  declaration  in  future  tenses.  On  this  use  of 
the  Perfect  in  Hebrew  the  student  of  the  original  text  is  referred 
to  Gesenius-Kautzsch's  Grammar^^,  §  106,  3.  Delitzsch  renders 
by  '  I  have  fixed  my  choice  on  thee,'  and  appeals  to  xliv.  14,  and 
Ps.  Ixxx.  16,  18  {E.  V.  15,  17),  but  in  all  these  passages  the 
meaning  c*"  ie  Hebrew  verb  is  '  to  cause  to  grow  up  strong'  (in 
ref.  to  a  tree).  Cheyne,  who  followed  Delitzsch  formerly,  now 
gives  the  rendering  'I  strengthen  thee '  (S50r.).  Instead  of 
with  the  rig'ht  hand  of  my  rig-hteousness  the  original  is  more 
idiomatically  rendered  :  '  with  my  victorious  right  hand.'  On  the 
use  of  sedek  (properly  '■  right ')  in  the  sense  of  '  victory,'  see  note  on 
verse  2  above. 

^  The  root  means  to  bind  or  connect  [in  Arab.  wst].  Parallel  to 
the  Hebrew  word  we  have  in  Syriac  (Aramaic)  yasUo,  meaning  'joint' 
or  *arm.'  We  have  a  similar  word  assH  in  Heb.,  Ezek.  xiii.  18, 
Jer.  xxxviii.  12.  Thus  Symmachus  renders  it  by  dyKwvfs.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  LXX  l«  tu/v  OKomwv  avTTJs,  *  from  its  outposts '  or  '  watch- 
towers,'  suggests  the  existence  of  another  and  perhaps  better  reading  : 
n'C^?3n  ;  comp.  Isa.  xxi.  8 ;  2  Chr.  xx.  24.  Though  the  form  be  rare, 
the  sense  is  more  appropriate  and  intelligible. 

^  LXX  *  do  not  stray '  suggests  an  altogether  different  reading, 
rnn  ha. 


ISAIAH  41.  ir-14  71 

Behold^  all  they  that  are  incensed  against  thee  shall  be  n 
ashamed  and  confounded  :  they  that  strive  with  thee  shall 
be  as  nothing,  and  shall  perish.      Thou  shalt  seek  them,  12 
and  shalt  not  find  them,  even  them  that  contend  with 
thee  :  they  that  war  against  thee  shall  be  as  nothing,  and 
as  a  thing  of  nought.     For  I  the  Lord  thy  God  will  hold  13 
thy  right  hand,  saying  unto  thee,  Fear  not ;  I  will  help 
thee.    Fear  not,  thou  worm  Jacob,  and  ye  men  of  Israel ;  14 

11-16.  We  now  come  to  a  poem  in  three  stanzas  of  four  long 
lines  each,  each  hne  being  in  the  well-known  Kinah  or  elegiac 
measure  explained  in  the  introductory  notes  to  Isaiah,  chap,  xiii, 
in  vol.  i,  pp.  182-3.  Marti  is  disposed  to  separate  these  three 
stanzas  (comprised  in  verses  ii-i6)  from  the  rest  of  the  chapter 
as  a  later  poem.  The  concluding  stanza  (verses  25,  26)  certainly 
forms  a  close  parallel  to  Mic.  iv.  13.  But  this  resemblance  ought 
not  to  mislead  us.  Mic.  iv.  11-14,  which  Marti  cites  as  a  parallel, 
presupposes  the  siege  of  Zion  by  many  nations  who  are  her  bitter 
and  unrelenting  foes.  But  here  there  is  no  specific  reference  to 
Zion,  and  those  who  are  enraged  against  Yahweh's  servant  Israel, 
to  which  verse  11  refers,  may  well  be  identified  with  those  who 
are  described  in  xlvii.  6  as  showing  Israel  no  mercy  and  laying 
upon  God's  people  a  heavy  yoke,  viz.  the  Babylonians.  Accord- 
ingly, though  tiie  metric  form  of  this  section  separates  it  from 
the  passages  which  precede  and  follow,  it  may  be  regarded  as 
belonging  to  the  close  of  the  exile  period. 

11,  12.  Israel's  foes  shall  disappear  and  perish.  This  con- 
ception is  expressed  in  a  variety  of  phraseology  which  is  a  literary 
characteristic  of  the  Deutero- Isaiah. 

13.  The  destruction  of  Israel's  foes  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
behind  Israel  stands  Yahweh.  This  verse  expresses  the  same 
thought  as  verse  10  expressed  in  other  words  :  '  I,  Yahweh,  take 
hold  of  thy  right  hand  who  say  unto  thee,  ''fear  not."'  This 
phrase  '  take  hold  of  the  hand,'  equivalent  to  '  sustain,'  '  help,' 
meets  us  repeatedly  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah  (xlii.  6,  xlv.  i,  li.  18), 
and  may  have  been  due  to  the  Babylonian  environment.  For  the 
Assyrians  and  Babylonians  used  precisely  the  same  expression 
*  take  hold  of  the  hand '  {kdta  sabdtu)  in  the  sense  of  '  sustain,' 
'helpi.' 

14.  The  worm  that  crawls  upon  the  ground,  exposed  to  the 

^  See  Zimmern,  Baby  I  onische  Btcsspsalmen,  p.  25,  where  numerous 
citations  are  given,  as  well  as  in  Delitzsch's  Assyr.  Handwdrterbuch 
sub  voce  sabdtii. 


72  ISAIAH  41.  15 

I  will  help  thee,  saith  the  Lord,  and  thy  redeemer  is  the 
15  Holy  One  of  Israel.     Behold,  I  will  make  thee  a  new 

crushing  foot  of  every  traveller,  is  the  symbol  in  the  Hebrew 
speech  of  abject  humihation.     Cf.  Ps.  xxii.  7. 

ye  men  of  Israel  forms  a  very  ineffective  parallelism  to  worm 
Jacob.  Ewald  made  a  very  brilliant  emendation,  v^rhich  probably 
restores  to  us  the  true  text,  '  worm  (or  grub)  of  Israel.'  This  is 
followed  by  Oort,  Gratz,  and  Duhm  ^.  This  reading  is  supported 
by  the  fact  that  these  two  words,  almost  synonymous  in  Hebrew 
for  'worm'  and  'grub,'  are  employed  in  conjunction  in  Isa.  xiv. 

II  and  Job  xxv.  6. 

I  will  help  thee  is  expressed  in  the  original  with  the 
emphasis  of  assured  certainty  by  means  of  a.  prophetic  perfect.  See 
Davidson's  Heb.  Syntax,  §  41  a  and  rem.  i. 

The  word  redeemer  here  is  in  Hebrew  goel,  a  word  of  very 
special  signification.  It  means  in  the  first  place,  one  who  pur- 
chases back  or  redeems  a  person  or  thing.  This  term  is  specially 
applied  to  an  avenger  of  blood,  because  upon  him  devolved  the 
duty  of  slaying  the  murderer  of  his  nearest  kinsman,  i.  e.  of 
vindicating  the  blood  of  the  clan  which  has  been  unjustly  shed  at 
the  price  of  the  blood  of  the  murderer  who  shed  it.  See  Enc. 
Bibl.,  art.  *Goel,'  and  Robertson  Smith,  RS"^.,  pp.  272,  420.  As  this 
duty  of  redemption  or  purchasing  back  (or  in  the  case  of  murder, 
vindicating  the  right  of  the  clan)  belongs  to  the  nearest  kinsman 
(cf.  Ruth  iii.  13;  2  Sam.  xiv.  11  ;  i  Kings  xvi.  11),  the  nearest 
kinsman  was  called  by  this  name  Goel.  This  word  Goel  is 
a  favourite  designation  of  Yahweh  in  His  capacity  of  Redeemer  of 
His  people  Israel  in  the  literature  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  (xhii.  14, 
xliv.  6,  24,  xlvii.  4,  xlviii.  17,  xlix.  7,  26,  liv.  5,  8),  and  it 
occurs  several  times  in  the  Trito-Isaiah  as  well. 

15.  God's  help  to  weak  insignificant  Israel  effects  a  marvellous 

*  The  Vulg.  rendering  mortui  is  based  on  the  same  text  as  our 
Hebrew  version,  but  with  a  different  punctuation  {meth^  in  place  of 
ni^the).  The  LXX  certainly  seem  to  indicate  an  attempt  to  avoid 
the  use  of  terms  considered  to  be  derogatory  to  the  national  dignity 
(another  clear  indication  of  divergence  of  mental  standpoint  of  post- 
exilian  Judaism  from  that  of  the  exilian  Deutero-Isaiah:  cf.  the  Targ. 
of  Jon.  on  Isa.  liii).  They  render  M^  (poPov,  laKdjfi,  oKi-^oarbs  lapaijK, 
'fear  not,  Jacob,  puny  Israel.'  'OAtYoaro?  seems  to  indicate  the 
reading  lo^p  (Ps.  cv.  12;    Isa.  xvi.  14),  or  it  may  be  an  attempt  to 

reduce  the  severity  of  the  original  Hebrew  epithet.  The  Hebrew 
rimmah,  '  worm  '  (grub),  properly  means  a  rotting  mass  breeding 
worms  or  maggots. 


ISAIAH  41.  i6  73 

sharp  threshing  instrument  having  teeth :  thou  shalt  thresh 
the  mountains,  and  beat  them  small,  and  shalt  make  the 
hills  as  chaff.     Thou  shalt  fan  them,  and  the  wind  shall  i6 
carry  them  away,  and  the  whirlwind  shall  scatter  them : 
and  thou  shalt  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  thou  shalt  glory  in  the 

result.  The  nation  is  now  compared  to  a  sharp  threshing-sledge 
or  morag.  This  was  an  agricultural  instrument,  like  the  Italian 
trtl/ulum\  consisting  of  a  plank  filled  with  sharp  pointed  stones, 
fixed  into  holes  in  the  bottom.  It  was  drawn  by  the  oxen  over  the 
corn  (cf.  Isa.  xxviii.  27  and  note),  the  driver  sitting  on  the  sledge  to 
increase  the  weight.  In  modern  Egypt  we  have  the  noreg  (which 
is  apparently  a  variation  of  the  same  word),  which  fulfils  the  same 
function.  See  the  figure  in  Wilkinson's  Manneis  and  Customs  of 
the  Ancient  Egyptians,  vol.  i,  p.  408  (cf.  vol.  ii,  p.  420  foil.). 

The  Hebrew  word  rendered  sharp  (Jidrus)  is  sometimes 
employed  as  a  substantive  in  the  sense  of  '  threshing-sledge ' 
(cf.  xxviii.  27).  This  has  led  Duhm  and  Marti  to  regard  it  as 
a  gloss  inserted  by  a  scribe,  since  it  lengthens  the  line  unduly. 
Considerations  of  text  and  a  comoarison  with  the  LXX  make  it 
probable  that  this  word  hdrns  originated  from  dittography^  and 
ought  to  be  eliminated  from  the  text.  Render,  therefore  :  '  See, 
I  make  thee  into  a  new  threshing-sledge — full  of  points.'  The 
metaphor  is  a  bold  one.  The  threshing-sledge  with  its  sharp 
points  is  not  simply  for  the  humble  service  of  threshing  corn,  but 
it  is  to  thresh  the  mountains.  Mountains  and  hills  are  to  be  ground 
down  and  dispersed  like  flying  chaff". 

16.  The  metaphor  is  continued:  'Thou  shalt  winnow  {lit. 
scatter)  them^  and  a  wind  shall  carry  them  away.'  This  was  the 
next  stage  in  the  agricultural  operations.  After  the  threshing  of 
the  corn,  by  the  threshing-sledge  driven  over  it,  came  the  winnow- 
ing process.  '  The  bruised  corn-ears  were  thrown  up  on  wooden 
shovels  when  a  moderate  wind  was  blowing.     The  wind  carried 

*  Hebrew  Antiquities  (Rel.  Tract  Soc),  p.  92.  See  also  ibid. 
figures  of  modern  threshing-sledges.  Probably  the  plostellum 
Poenicum  presented  a  closer  resemblance  to  the  Hebrew  mSrag 
than  the  Roman  trtbulum.     See  art.  '  Agriculture'  in  Eitc.  Bibl. 

-  The  LXX  probably  read  in  their  corrupted  copy  (perhaps  a  con- 
flate reading) — iiJirr  T2:t  nbjy  IDii^V,  which  indicates  that  their  text 
had  already  become  confused  by  dittography.  The  ynn  of  our 
Hebrew  text  obviously  arose  from  the  first  \LnrT.  In  the  earlier  form 
of  Hebrew  characters  i?  and  'c3  are  by  no  means  dissimilar. 


74  ISAIAH  41.  17-19 

r  7  Holy  One  of  Israel.  The  poor  and  needy  seek  water  and 
there  is  none,  and  their  tongue  faileth  for  thirst;  I  the 
Lord  will  answer  them,  I  the  God  of  Israel  will  not 

18  forsake  them.  I  will  open  rivers  on  the  bare  heights,  and 
fountains  in  the  midst  of  the  valleys :  I  will  make  the 
wilderness  a  pool  of  water,  and  the  dry  land  springs  of 

19  water.  I  will  plant  in  the  wilderness  the  cedar,  the  acacia 
tree,  and  the  myrtle,  and  the  oil  tree ;  I  will  set  in  the 

away  the  chaff  from  the  threshing-floor  while  the  heavier  grains 
remained  behind '  {Hebrew  Antiquities,  p.  92).  This  metaphor  of 
the  bruising  and  the  scattering  describes  Yahweh's  treatment  of 
the  enemies  of  Israel.  We  have  a  similar  use  of  this  agricultural 
metaphor  in  Jer.  xv.  7. 

In  verses  17-20  we  return  once  more  to  the  long-lined  distichs 
in  verses  8-10.  They  are  a  message  of  comfort  to  the  afflicted 
Israel  in  exile.  It  takes  the  form  of  a  Divine  promise  expressed 
under  the  metaphor  of  a  transformed  desert.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  suppose  that  the  writer  is  thinking  of  the  returning  exiles 
as  they  cross  the  desert,  as  Kimhi  (followed  by  Ewald,  Hitzig, 
and  recently  Marti)  supposed,  though  such  a  view  is  certainly 
possible  (cf  xl.  3  foil.). 

\*7.  For  seek  the  more  exact  and  picturesque  rendering  would 
be  'are  seeking';  also  for  faileth  for  thirst  substitute  the 
rendering  '  is  parched  with  thirst.' 

18.  The  words  springs  of  water  in  the  last  clause  of  this  verse 
are  a  doubtful  rendering  of  the  Hebrew.  We  should  translate  more 
accurately  '  water-courses,'  rivi  aquaru/n,  which  is  obviously  the 
meaning  of  the  LXX,  vSpaywyoi,  which  here  places  us  on  the  right 
track.  The  Hebrew  word  is  mosd,  which  means  '  water-channel' 
or  'water-course  '  (the  Assyrian  niiisii).  It  is  the  same  word  that 
occurs  in  the  description  of  the  water-channel  or  tunnel  in  the 
Siloam  inscription,  and  also  in  2  Chron.  xxxii.  20  (where  the 
correct  rendering  is  'the  upper  water-channel  of  the  Gihon'). 
The  facts  were  stated  by  the  present  writer  in  1888  in  Schrader's 
COT.,  ii.  pp.  311-313  (cf.  Expositor,  Dec.  1886,  p.  479,  foil, 
and  Stanley  Cook's'art.  '  Conduits,'  in  Enc.  Bibl.  col.  883).  Echoes 
of  this  passage  occur  in  Ps.  cvii.  33  foil,  and  in  Isa.  xxxv.  7  (with 
variations).  In  Babylonia,  where  a  vast  system  of  irrigation  was 
carried  out,  canals  and  water-courses  abounded. 

19.  The  names  of  the  trees  here  mentioned,  some  of  which 
meet  us  again  in  Ix.  13,  are  by  no  means  definitely  identified. 
Several  of  the  names  are  to  be  found  in  other  .Semitic  languages, 


ISAIAH  41.  20-22  75 

desert  the  fir  tree,  the  pine,  and  the  box  tree  together : 
that  they  may  see,  and  know,  and  consider,  and  understand  20 
together,  that  the  hand  of  the  Lord  hath  done  this,  and 
the  Holy  One  of  Israel  hath  created  it. 

Produce  your  cause,  saith  the  Lord  ;  bring  forth  your  21 
strong  reasons,  saith  the  King  of  Jacob.  Let  them  bring  22 
them  forth,  and  declare  unto  us  what  shall  happen :  declare 

notably  in  the  ancient  Assyrian.  The  word  bcrosh,  which  is 
rendered  '  fir-tree,'  occurs  in  Assyrian  in  the  form  btirasn,  which 
is  interpreted  by  Fried.  DeHtzsch  to  mean  the  '  sweet-pine.' 
Others  regard  it  as  the  *cypress* ;  cf.  xiv.  8  (note)  and  Schrader, 
COT.,  ii.  p.  78.  On  the  other  hand,  the  tree  that  follows, 
which  the  R.V.  calls  'pine,'  should  be  more  probably  named 
'  plane-tree,'  with  the  marg.  (R.V.)  and  Cheyne.  [We  may  note 
that  Jerome  renders  by  *  elm,'  which  is  less  suitable,  since  it  does 
not  belong  to  the  trees  special  to  Mount  Lebanon;  see  Ix.  13.]  It 
is  by  no  means  clear  whether  the  last-mentioned  tree  in  this  verse 
was  the  '  box-tree '  or  '  cypress  '  (with  R.V.  marg.). 

20.  The  end  of  these  gracious  transformations  worked  by  Divine 
power  in  Israel's  desolate  surroundings  is  that  His  people  may 
realize  that  He  is  the  source  of  all  good. 

Verses  21-29.  Wenowturnfrom  Israel,  whom  God  in  theirdistress 
consoles  with  words  of  comfort  and  hope,  to  the  deities  of  foreign 
nations.  The  passage  portrays  Yahweh  as  uttering  a  challenge 
to  the  powerless  deities  of  foreign  races  (in  the  main  those  of 
Babylonia).  They  are  wholly  unable  to  foretell  the  events  that 
are  to  come.  It  is  Yahweh  who  has  summoned  from  the  north- 
east the  invincible  conqueror  who  is  to  trample  the  world's  rulers 
in  the  dust. 

21.  Yahweh  challenges  the  foreign  deities  to  come  to  the  bar 
of  judgment.  '  Bring  forward  your  suit,  advance  your  proofs.' 
By  an  inconsiderable  change  of  the  word  for  '  proofs  '  {^asmnotli) 
into  the  word  for  'gods,'  idols'  {^asabbim)  Gratz,  Cheyne,  and 
Marti  appear  to  consider  that  something  is  gained  in  sense.  But 
this  is  quite  an  unnecessary  alteration,  and  spoils  both  parallelism 
and  sense.  The  challenge  to  the  bar  of  judgment  would  then 
not  be  addressed  to  the  deities  (who  could  hardly  be  requested 
to  bring  their  own  images  !),  but  to  the  foreign  peoples.  Moreover 
the  LXX  lend  no  support  to  the  proposed  change.  Cf.  also  verse  23. 

22.  The  *  proofs  '  in  this  case  consist  not  in  the  manifestation 
of  power  in  foreign  conquest,  but  in  the  capacity  of  understanding 
past  events  and  foretelling  the  future.      This  was,  in  reality,  the 


^6  ISAIAH  41.  33 

ye  the  former  things,  what  they  be,  that  we  may  consider 

them,  and  know  the  latter  end  of  them  ;  or  shew  us  things 

23  for  to  come.    Declare  the  things  that  are  to  come  hereafter, 

prophet's  function,  which  was  essentially  one  of  interpretation 
and  prediction.  The  prophet's  utterance  was  the  'word  of 
Yahweh  that  came  to  him '  ;  thus  prediction  in  Israel  was  a  mani- 
festation of  Yahweh's  power.  Now  the  god  of  prophecy  among 
the  Babylonians  was  Nabii  (or  Nebo),  the  tutelary  deity  of 
Borsippa,  whose  name  signifies  '  utterance '  and  is  connected 
with  the  verbal  root  of  the  Hebrew  word  nabhi'*,  ^  prophet.'  One 
of  his  epithets  was  '  bearer  of  the  tablet  of  destiny  '  of  the  gods. 
The  influence  of  this  deity  in  Babylonia  is  shown  by  the  fact  that 
several  of  the  kings  of  the  New  Babylonian  empire  contain  the  name 
of  Nebo,  viz.  Nabopolassar,  Nebuchadrezzar,  Nabunaid  (Nabonidus). 
The  reign  of  the  last  king  of  Babylonia,  Nabunaid  (Nabonidus), 
seems  to  show  how  little  that  king  or  his  subjects  had  any  clear 
prevision  of  the  menace  to  their  security  which  the  onward  career 
of  Cyrus  portended.  Nabonidus  appears  to  have  been  too  much 
absorbed  in  the  work  of  restoring  the  old  temples  of  the  gods 
in  Ur,  Larsa  and  Sippar^  to  pay  due  heed  to  the  progress 
in  arms  of  Cyrus,  his  Persian  contemporary,  or  to  take  the  pre- 
cautions of  a  thorough  system  of  national  defence.  While  this 
attitude  of  insouciance  characterized  the  mind  of  Babylonia  during 
the  reign  of  Nabonidus  (555-539  b.c),  the  prophets  of  Yahweh, 
represented  by  the  Deutero-Isaiah,  clearly  discerned  the  signs  of 
the  times  and  the  advent  of  the  future  conqueror  not  only  of 
Media  but  also  of  Babylonia,  Cyrus. 

Probably,  with  Duhm,  we  should  invert  the  order  of  the  last 
two  clauses  :  '  Or  let  us  hear  the  events  that  are  to  come,  that  we 
may  perceive  their  issue.'  This  makes  the  entire  verse  harmonize 
in  order  and  parallelism. 

23.  The  more  literal  rendering  is  '  Declare  (announce)  the 
things  that  are  coming  in  the  future.'  The  latter  part  of  the  verse 
should  be  rendered  'Yea,  do  things  fair  or  ill  that  we  may  look 
at  one  another  in  amaze  z.r\^fear.'  We  here  adopt  the  punctuation 
of  the  Kethib  in  the  original  Hebrew  suggested  by  Oort,  viz.  nird  in 
place  of  that  of  the  Kere,  nir'eh.  Oort's  proposal  is  deemed 
incompatible  with  the  high  dignity  and  position  of  Yahweh  in 
the  Deutero-Isaiah.  But  this  argument  ignores  the  subtle  irony 
of  the  passage. 

^  See  the  large  and  small  inscriptions  of  Ur  and  the  great  cylinder- 
inscription  from  Abu  Habba,  as  well  as  the  cylinder-inscription  (v.  Rawl. 
63)  transcribed  and  translated  In  Schrader,  KIB.,  vol.  iii,  second  half, 
pp.  So-i  ig.   Comp.  Hominel,  Cesch.  Bahylonieiis  u.A<ssyriens,\i.  jy^. 


ISAIAH  41.  23  77 

that  we  may  know  that  ye  are  gods  :  yea,  do  good,  or  do 
evil,  that  we  may  be  dismayed,  and  behold  it  together. 

The  interesting  question,  moreover,  arises  whether  the  mono- 
theism of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  had  proceeded  so  far  as  to  involve 
a  belief  in  the  absolute  non-existence  of  foreign  deities.  In  other 
words,  are  we  to  regard  this  passage  as  purely  rhetorical.  Here 
the  clear  evidence  afforded  by  a  study  of  ancient  Hebrew  demon- 
ology  leads  us  to  a  negative  reply.  The  progress  of  the  ancient 
Hebrews  from  Henoiheism  to  pure  Monotheism  was  in  reality  far 
slower  than  some  theologians  and  critics  appear  to  imagine. 
Henotheism  expresses  the  condition  of  the  ordinary  Hebrew  mind 
represented  by  David  in  pre-exilian  Israel  ^.  It  consisted  in  the 
recognition,  as  well  as  worship,  of  one  God  by  the  Hebrew,  viz. 
Yahweh,  as  the  national  God  of  Israel  and  Israel's  land,  but  it 
was  accompanied  by  a  belief  that  the  gods  of  other  nations  and 
their  lands  existed  (e.  g.  Chemosh,  of  Moab,  and  in  Moab). 
Monotheism,  on  the  other  hand,  consists  in  the  recognition,  as 
well  as  worship,  of  one  universal  and  all-powerful  God  of  the 
entire  universe  accompanied  by  a  disbelief  in  the  existence  of  any 
other  deity.  Now  Amos,  as  we  have  already  seen  (vol.  i. 
Introduction,  p.  51),  had  expounded  the  great  truth  of  the 
universality  of  Yahweh's  rule  which  was  implicit  in  Israel's  old 
religion,  and  this  belief  the  Deutero-Isaiah  sets  forth  in  the 
sublime  language  of  the  preceding  chapter  (xl.  15-26)  two 
centuries  after  the  prophetic  career  of  Amos.  Yet  though  a  great 
step  had  been  taken  in  the  direction  of  Monotheism,  the  stage 
hitherto  reached  was  in  reality  an  incomplete  Monotheism. 
Yahweh  was  the  absolute  ruler  of  all  the  world,  and  the  gods  of 
other  nations  were  mere  '  nothings '  or  '  vanity,'  but  they  were 
not  regarded  as  non-existent '^.  They  now  assumed  the  degraded 
rank  of  demons.     Even  the  Assyrians  had  conceptions  somewhat 

*  e.  g.  in  I  Sam.  xxvi.  19;  cf.  also  Judges  xi.  23,  24;  Ruth  i.  16. 
Henotheism  is  unfortunately  not  uniformly  defined  as  above ;  see 
Chantepie  de  la  Saussaye,  Lehrbuch  der  Religionsgeschichte,  2nd 
ed,,  vol.  i,  p.  16  foil. 

*  On  this  subject  cf.  Gressmann,  Der  Ursprung  der  Israel.- 
jiid.  Eschatologie,  p.  309.  On  p.  310,  however,  the  writer  yields 
to  an  exaggerated  tendency  to  see  Babylonian  mythic  survivals  in 
the  O.  T.  The  first  person  plur.  both  in  xH.  22  foil,  and  xliii.  8  foil, 
is  not  to  be  regarded  as  a  '  stylistic  survival '  of  Babylonian  poly- 
theistic phraseology  such  as  Marduk  and  his  party  of  great  gods 
might  address  to  their  opponents  (see  creation-epic).  Gen.  i.  26 
(Met  lis  make')  should  rather  be  compared  with  Isa.  vi.  8  ('for  us') 
and  Job  xxxviii.  6,  7.     Cf.  also  Gen.  xi.  7. 


78  ISAIAH  41.  24,  25 

24  Behold,  ye  are  of  nothing,  and  your  work  of  nought :  an 
abomination  is  he  that  chooseth  you. 

25  I  have  raised  up  one  from  the  north,  and  he  is  come ; 
from  the  rising  of  the  sun  one  that  calleth  upon  my  name : 

analogous  Thus  Sargon  in  his  Triumphal  Insc.  (line  122)  de- 
scribes Merodach-Baladan,  the  foe  whom  he  defeated,  as  being 
under  the  influence  of  an  evil  demon  {galht  limnu)  who  was  no 
other  than  the  tutelary  deity  whom  Merodach-Baladan  invoked. 
By  the  same  process  of  reasoning  the  Hebrews,  while  recognizing 
the  absolute  supremacy  of  Yahweh,  called  the  deities  of  foreign 
peoples  '  demons '  {shedim)  in  the  exilian  period  and  later,  as 
Deut.  xxxii.  17  and  Ps.  cvi.  37  clearly  testify.  This  condition  of 
a  not  quite  complete  Monotheism  survived  for  centuries.  For  in 
much  later  Judaism  we  find  the  old  Philistine  deity  of  Ekron, 
Baalzebub,  has  become  the  chief  among  demons,  in  fact  identified 
with  Satan  (Matt.  xii.  26,  27  ;  cf.  x.  25) ;  and  Resheph,  the 
flame-deity  of  the  ancient  Canaanites,  has  been  transformed 
into  the  demon  Reshpa.  Many  other  examples  might  be  given  ^ 
We  are,  therefore,  justified  in  concluding  that  the  language  here 
used  is  itot  mere  rhetoric. 

24.  The  R.V.  correctly  regards  the  Hebrew  word  ephcC  in  the 
second  clause  as  a  scribal  error  for  ephes^  *  nought.'  But  the  LXX 
apparently  read  the  same  word  ain  in  both  first  and  second 
clauses,  which  they  mistranslated  as  an  interrogative. 

Verses  25-29.  The  argument  clinched.  It  is  made  to  converge  on 
Yahweh's  definite  mandate  to  Cyrus. 

25.  The  fact  that  Persia,  the  land  from  which  Cyrus  came,  lay 
to  the  north-east  of  Babylonia  is  expressed  in  two  clauses,  one 
of  which  gives  the  direction  as  north  and  the  other  as  east. 

calleth  upon  my  name  is  the  ordinary  Hebrew  phrase  for  *  in- 
voke '  ;  cf.  Gen.  iv.  26.  There  is  no  necessary  contradiction  between 
the  Hebrew  text  *  he  shall  call  upon  my  name  '  and  the  statement  in 
xlv.  4,  '■  I  have  called  thee  by  thy  name  .  .  .  though  thou  hast  not 
known  me,'  applied  to  Cyrus.  For  it  is  certainly  probable  that 
Cyrus  subsequently  became  favourably  disposed   to  the   Jewish 

^  See  Hastings'  DB.^  art.  'Demon,'  p.  591  right-hand  column  and 
footnote.  Though  St.  Paul  declared  *  that  no  idol  is  anything  in  the 
world'  (i  Cor.  viii.  4),  he  nevertheless  warned  his  Gentile  converts 
against  the  table  of  demons  :  '  The  things  which  the  Gentiles  sacri- 
fice, they  sacrifice  to  demons  and  not  to  God,  and  I  would  not  that 
ye  should  have  communion  with  demons.  Ye  cannot  drink  the  cup 
of  the  Lord  and  the  cup  of  demons'  (i  Cor.  x.  20). 


ISAIAH  41.  26,27  79 

and  he  shall  come  upon  rulers  as  upon  mortar,  and  as  the 
potter  treadeth  clay.  Who  hath  declared  it  from  the  26 
beginning,  that  we  may  know?  and  beforetime,  that  we 
may  say.  He  is  righteous?  yea,  there  is  none  that  declareth, 
yea,  there  is  none  that  sheweth,  yea,  there  is  none  that 
heareth  your  words,     /first  zvill  say  unto  Zion,  Behold,  27 

exiles  (Ezra  i),  and  would  also  sympathize  with  their  worship. 
Apart  from  the  question  of  the  historicity  of  Ezra,  chap,  i,  which 
critics  like  Kosters  (see  Enc.  Bibl.  art.  '  Cyrus ')  deny,  we  know 
from  the  testimony  of  the  cylinder-inscription  of  Cyi'us  that  he  was 
sympathetic  and  tolerant  towards  the  cults  of  tlie  Babylonians, 
restored  the  gods  to  their  sanctuaries,  rebuilt  the  latter,  and 
regarded  himself  as  called  by  the  Babylonian  god  of  light,  Marduk, 
to  be  the  deliverer  of  oppressed  nationalities.  Now,  as  Duhm  points 
out,  there  is  far  more  affinity  between  Yahweh  and  the  Persian 
Ahura-mazda  than  between  the  latter  and  Marduk  (Merodach)  or 
Nebo  ;  and  it  might,  therefore,  be  reasonably  argued  that  the 
Persian  Cyrus  would  come  to  know  Yahweh  as  a  deity  to  be 
invoked. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  difficulty  presented  by  our  Hebrew  text 
would  be  avoided  if  with  Oort  we  were  to  read  *  I  will  call  him 
by  his  name.'  The  change  is  not  very  great  in  the  Hebrew  text, 
and  it  (i)  restores  the  parallelism  with  the  preceding  clause,  and 
(2)  exactly  accords  with  the  phrase  '  and  I  called  thee  by  thy 
name  '  in  xlv.  4.  In  the  following  part  of  the  verse  it  is  generally 
agreed  that  parallelism  and  construction  require  the  change  of  the 
text  from  ydbo  to  ydbus.  The  whole  line  then  will  read  '  that  he 
may  trample  down  rulers  like  clay,  and,  as  a  potter,  tread  down 
the  mire.'  The  LXX  sustain  our  Heb.  text,  but  with  different 
punctuation,  and  hardly  intelligible  meaning.  The  word  for 
rulers  is  a  Babylonian  loan-word  {sdgdn,  '  ruler/  is  in  reality  the 
Babylonian  ^aknu).  The  same  word  is  employed  in  Ezek.  xxiii 
and  Jer.  li.  In  all  probability  it  is  the  Babylonian  rulers  whom 
the  writer  intends  here  as  the  objects  of  the  conquest  \ 

26.  For  he  is  rig"lxteous  render  '  it  is  right.'  The  word  saddik 
here  preserves  the  meaning  which  belongs  to  this  root  s  d  k  \n 
Arabic,  viz.  that  of  rightness  or  truth  in  the  sense  of  faithfulness 
to  the  pledged  word  and  power  to  effect  it.  See  Introduction  on 
Theology  of  Isaiah,  p.  37.  If  the  gods  of  the  Babylonian  had  any 
truth  to  proclaim,  there  was  no  seer  or  prophet  in  Babylonia  to 
proclaim  it,  and  they  were  powerless  to  give  it  effect. 

27.  The  text  is  evidently  in  disorder.     Following  the  sugges- 

*  In  chap.  xxii.  15  the  form  is  soken;  see  note  on  the  passage. 


8o  ISAIAH  41.  28-42.  i 

behold  them  ;  and  I  will  give  to  Jerusalem  one  that 

28  bringeth  good  tidings.  And  when  I  look,  there  is  no 
man;  even  among  them  there  is  no  counsellor,  that,  when 

29  I  ask  of  them,  can  answer  a  word.  Behold,  all  of  them, 
their  works  are  vanity  a7id  nought :  their  molten  images 
are  wind  and  confusion. 

42      [S. — Behold  my  servant,  whom  I  uphold  ;  my  chosen,  in 

tions  of  Cheyne,  Kittel,  and  Marti,  we  had  better  reconstruct  the 
opening  of  the  verse  and  render  thus  :  '  I  have  proclaimed  it  first 
unto  Zion,  and  give  to  Jerusalem  a  messenger-of-good-tidings.' 
The  proclamation  is  of  course  that  of  deliverance  by  Cyrus. 

28.  Again  a  difficult  verse.  The  LXX  indicate  a  different 
text.  Though  our  own  Hebrew  text  is  certainly  doubtful,  our 
only  resource  is  to  abide  by  it  and  render  :  '  And,  if  I  look,  there 
is  no  one  ;  and  among  these  there  is  none  to  give  counsel,  that,  if 
I  ask  them,  they  may  return  answer.'  The  pronoun  *  these  '  here 
refers  to  the  gods  who  give  their  replies  through  diviners  or 
prophets. 

29.  The  result  of  the  challenge  is  to  show  the  utter  impotence 
and  hollowness  of  the  deities  of  Babylonia.  '  Lo,  all  of  them  are 
nought — nothingness  their  deeds,  wind  and  emptiness  their  molten 
images.* 

B.  Chap.  xlii.  i — xliv.  23  constitute  a  separate  section  of  the 
prophecies  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  which  specially  describe  the 
high  destiny  and  noble  future  of  the  Servant  of  Yahweh,  viz. 
Israel  or  (in  xlii.  1-4)  an  elect  portion  thereof. 

Chapter  XLII. 
/      Verses  1-4  constitute  the  first  of  the  four  special  Servant -Sonjgs.  j 
f    On  this  subject  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  Introduction.      ''^ 

We  are  here  introduced  to  the  person  and  office  of  Yahweh's 
servant,  which  are  portrayed  in  general  terms.  His  exalted 
mission  as  God's  messenger  to  foreign  peoples  is  announced. 
The  poem  is  brief,  consisting  of  three  stanzas  of  four  lines  each. 

1.  uphold,  i.  e.  sustain,  hold  firm.  This  servant,  in  whom 
Yahweh's  '  soul  takes  pleasure,'  is  described  in  the  character 
of  a  prophet.  '  I  have  put  my  spirit  upon  him.'  The  same  word 
is  used  here  for  '  hold  firm  '  or  fast  as  in  xli.  10  ('  uphold  thee  ') 
but  in  the  latter  passage  it  is  intended  to  express  the  idea  of 
Divine  support  amid  weakness  and  surrounding  peril ;  here,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  parallelism  shov/s  that  it  is  meant  to  express 
Divine  affection. 

We  now  for  the  first  time  become  acquainted  with  the  noble 


ISAIAH  42.  2-5  8i 

whom  my  soul  delighteth  :  I  have  put  my  spirit  upon  him  ; 
he  shall  bring  forth  judgement  to  the  Gentiles.     He  shall  2 
not  cry,  nor  lift  up,  nor  cause  his  voice  to  be  heard  in  the 
street.    A  bruised  reed  shall  he  not  break,  and  the  smok-  3 
ing  flax  shall  he  not  quench  :  he  shall  bring  forth  judge- 
ment in  truth.     He  shall  not  fail  nor  be  discouraged,  till  4 
he  have  set  judgement  in  the  earth ;  and  the  isles  shall 
wait  for  his  law.]     Thus  saith  God  the  Lord,  he  that  5 

destiny  of  Israel's  elect  as  God's  personified  servant.  The  suffering 
servant  is  to  make  known  God's  true  religion  to  foreign  peoples 
(cf.  xlix.  6).  The  word  '  judgment '  here  in  the  singular 
'mishpdt)  is  employed  to  express  the  entirety  of  'judgments' 
or  customs  (usages)  of  Yahweh's  religion.  Similarly  the  singular 
'law'  (Heb.  torah)  means  the  sum  total  of  laws  {toroth).  Marti 
compares  the  Arabic  din  used  in  the  Koran  to  mean  'custom,' 
'  religion,'  hence  '  true  faith.'  Now  for  the  first  time  the  high 
ideal  is  set  forth  for  the  Jewish  race  to  be  God's  missionaries 
to  make  known  His  true  religion  to  the  peoples  of  the  world. 
Subsequent  history  shows  how  far  the  Jews  fulfilled  the  ideal 
in  all  its  breadth  as  it  is  announced  here  and  in  xlix.  6.  On  this 
subject  see  above,  the  Introduction,  §  5,  and  the  remarks  of  the  pre- 
sent writer  in  the  art.  '  Hebrew  Religion,'  in  the  new  edition  of  the 
Encyd.  Britt.  and  also  '  Messiah  '  in  Hastings'  Diet,  of  Christ  and  the 
Gospels  (which  should  be  supplemented  by  Introd.,  p.  40  f.  above). 

The  LXX  insert  '  Jacob  '  and  '  Israel '  at  the  beginning  of 
the  opening  parallel  clauses  of  this  verse  (cf.  Matt.  xii.  18  foil.), 
but  these  names  are  evidently  added  by  a  gloss-writer. 

2-3.  The  chastened,  gentle,  undemonstrative  character  of  the  . 
messenger  is  here  graphically  portrayed  under  the  metaphors  : 
'  A  cracked  reed  he  doth  not  break  to  pieces,  the  flax  with  its 
dying  flame  (lit.  becoming  extinguished)  he  doth  not  quench.' 
It  is  the  function  of  Yahweh's  servant  to  sustain  and  restore  the 
weak  and  broken,  whether  foreigner  or  Jew. 

3-4.  The  same  phrase  occurs  at  the  close  of  verse  3  as  at 
the  close  of  verse  i.  We  might  accordingly  render,  *  He  shall 
faithfully  proclaim  the  true  religion.'  Here  the  word  tomk, 
rendered  '  law,'  means  properly  instruction  in  the  true  religion 
given  by  Yahweh's  servant. 

4.  Translate  the  first  clause  :  '  He  shall  not  be  exhausted  (burn 
dimly)  nor  broken,'  i.  e.  He  shall  unweariedly  and  with  unbroken 
fortitude  proclaim  Yahweh's  true  religion  to  foreign  nations  until 
his  task  is  accomplished. 

Verses  5-9  appear  to  belong  to  a  different  metrical  scheme  from 

G 


g2  ISAIAH  42.  6 

created  the  heavens,  and  stretched  them  forth ;  he  that 

spread  abroad  the  earth  and  that  which  cometh  out  of  it; 

he  that  giveth  breath  unto  the  people  upon  it,  and  spirit 

6  to  them  that  walk  therein  :  I  the  Lord  have  called  thee 


that  of  verses  8,  9,  and  14  foil.,  as  Cheyne  and  more  recently  Dchm 
(in  the  second  edition  of  his  commentary)  have  recognized.  This 
saves  the  latter  from  the  assumption  of  lost  lines  or  g^ps  (see 
his  first  edition).    The  theme  is  very  similar  to  that  of  verses  1-4 

5.  It  is  characteristic  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  to  superimpose 
upon  one  another  descriptive  clauses  of  Yahweh  when  He  speaks 
(cf.  xlii.  I,  14,  15,  16  foil.,  xliv.  2,  6,  24,  26,  xlv.  7,  xlix.  7). 
On  the  word  for  god  (el),  employed  here  for  the  one  true 
universal  God  of  the  Hebrews,  see  note  on  xl.  18,  According  to 
the  LXX  it  occurs  also  in  verses  6  and  8  in  connexion  with 
Yahweh  ;  but  it  is  quite  possible  that  in  both  these  latter  cases 
they  have  been  inserted  by  a  scribe  in  order  to  make  them 
harmonize  with  verse  5. 

The  word  for  *  create '  here  is  the  same  as  that  in  the  post- 
exilian  document  (Creation-story)  Gen.  i.  i.  It  was  during  the 
exile  and  afterwards  that  this  Hebrew  verb  bard  came  to  be  specially 
used  of  the  Divine  creative  activity.  The  word  used  for  '  spread 
abroad '  is  from  the  root  r-k-,  meaning  to  extend  by  beating  or 
hammering  (e.  g.  a  plate  of  metal).  Jhe  word  for  *  firmament '  in 
Hebrew  in  Gen.  i  is  derived  from  this  same  root.  One  can  readily 
conceive  of  the  broad  solid  plains  of  the  earth  being  regarded  as 
a  beaten-out  or  extended  surface  ;  but  we  cannot  say  the  same 
thing  of  'that  which  cometh  out  of  it'  (its  productions).'  Duhm 
and  Marti  are  probably  right  in  supposing  that  some  verb  has 
dropped  out  which  governed  this  latter  object. 

6.  It  is  quite  uncertain  whether  we  should  regard  the  original 
as  signifying  '  keep  (or  preserve)  thee '  or  *  form  (fashion)  thee.' 
This  will  depend  on  the  verb  from  which  the  original  word  is 
derived  (viz.  ndsar, '  keep,'  *  preserve,'  or ydsar,  '  form,'  *  fashion  '). 
Duhm,  Cheyne,  and  Marti  follow  the  latter  view  :  '  I  form  thee.' 
On  the  other  hand,  Rosenmtiller,  Delitzsch,  and  Dillmann-Kittel 
the  former  :  *  I  keep  thee,'  which  is  apparently  sustained  by  the 
LXX.  The  latter  interpretation  (form  or  fashion  thee)  is  supported 
by  a  comparison  with  xliv.  21,  xlix.  5. 

By  the  expression  *  in  righteousness '  we  should  understand 
'  in  my  righteous  purpose.'  There  has  been  considerable  difference 
of  opinion  as  to  the  meaning  of  the. Hebrew  phrase  b^rith  'dm, 
rendered  *■  a  covenant  of  the  people.'  Ewald  in  his  great  work 
on  Hebrew  Grammar  {Ausfiihrliches  Lehrbuch^,  §  287  g,  translated 
in  the  latter  or  syntactical  part  in  Hebrew  Syntax^  T.  &  T.  Clark) 


ISAIAH  42.  6  ^ 

in  righteousness,  and  will  hold  thine  hand,  and  will  keep 
thee,  and  give  thee  for  a  covenant  of  the  people,  for  a 

regards  this  combination  of  construct  substantive  with  following 
substantive  as  parallel  to  the  similar  combination  '  wondrous 
counsellor '  in  ix.  6  (see  the  translation  given  in  the  notes).  We 
should  therefore  amend  the  rendering  of  R.  V.  given  above  and 
translate  :  '  and  will  appoint  thee  a  covenant-people.'  To  this 
view  of  Ewald  the  objection  has  been  brought  that  it  does  not 
harmonize  with  the  phrase  in  the  following  parallel  clause,  '  light 
of  the  Gentiles.'  Accordingly  it  is  supposed  that  '  covenant  of 
a  people  '  is  the  true  rendering.  The  word  for  '  people '  here 
('am)  is  held  to  mean  the  whole  human  race  ;  in  other  words,  it 
exactly  corresponds  to  the  word  '  gentiles  '  {goyim)  in  the  parallel 
clause.     Duhm  ^  cites  good  analogies  for  this  application  of  the 

^  Duhm's  explanation  of  the  composite  expression  ¥rtth,  'am  in 
S^^  first  edition  of  his  commentary  was  not  clear.  He  appeared  to 
hesitate  between  Ewald's  explanation,  which  makes  the  word  for 
'people'  an  appositional  genitive  (cf.  'daughter  of  Jerusalem,' 
chap.  i.  8  and  note),  and  the  view  which  makes  it  a  subjective  genit. 
While  he  rightly  prefers  the  former  view,  he  refused  to  adjust  the 
relation  of  this  passage  to  the  '  Servant-passage '  which  precedes  on 
any  other  footing  than  that  of  contrast.  So  also  in  xlix.  7  foil.,  in 
reference  to  verses  1-6.  Both  in  xlix.  7  foil,  and  in  the  present 
passage  it  is  not  God's  servant  but  Israel,  now  a  scattered  race,  that 
is  addressed,  according  to  Duhm's  view.  In  the  opinion  of  the 
present  writer  this  presses  the  contrast  between  the  '  Servant- 
passages  '  and  the  rest  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  too  far.  The  concep- 
tions in  both,  though  far  from  identical,  are  analogous. 

The  modifications  in  Duhm's  second  edition  (1902)  can  hardly  be 
regarded  as  an  improvement,  {a)  He  follows  Schian  and  Cheyne 
in  regarding  verses  5-7  as  belonging  to  a  distinct  author  whom  he 
cr'jectures  to  have  been  the  same  person  as  the  editor  who  inserted 
'.^B  *  Servant-passages '  and  added  those  lines  of  his  own  as  well  as 
1.  10,  II.  His  style  is,  however,  different  from  that  of  the  Servant- 
passages  that  he  inserts,  and  imitates  that  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah 
[certainly  a  very  remarkable  imitation].  (6)  The  metrical  arrange- 
ment of  these  verses  is  altered,  and  it  no  longer  has  gaps,  (c)  After 
the  same  laboured  explanation  of  the  phrase  h^rith  'dm,  with  the 
fortunate  omission  of  the  gratuitous  attack  on  Dillmann,  Duhm  ends 
by  getting  rid  of  the  phrase  altogether  by  the  sovereign  remedy  of 
emendation.  He  would  be  disposed  to  read  'blessing  of  peoples' 
{birkath  'ammzm),  but  ends  by  preferring  '  redemption  of  the  people ' 
{p^dAth  'dm),  '  people  '  being  'God's  people,'  used  here,  as  verse  5 
indicates,    in    the   sense    of    '  humanity.'     Cf.    Jer.    i.    4-9.    Chap. 

G    2 


84  ISAIAH  42.  7,  8 

7  light  of  the  Gentiles ;  to  open  the  blind  eyes,  to  bring  out 
the  prisoners  from  the  dungeon,  and  them  that  sit  in 

8  darkness  out  of  the  prison  house.     I  am  the  Lord  ;  that 

term  '  covenant '  to  the  people  Israel,  It  is  as  easy  to  make 
a  man  or  a  race  '  a  covenant '  as  to  make  him  a  *  blessing,'  *  a  peace,' 
'  a  salvation  '  (cf.  Gen.  xii.  2).  The  individual  or  race  may  be 
considered  to  incorporate  the  conception  named.  This  is  certainly 
a  fair  argument.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  extremely  doubtful 
whether  the  word  ^am  in  the  singular  could  ever  be  employed  in 
O.  T.  language  for  the  entire  human  race.  The  proper  word  to 
express  this  would  be  dddm.  The  word  'am  is  the  proper  term 
to  use  for  the  Hebrew  race.  Moreover,  the  argument  from 
parallelism  may  be  pressed  too  far.  Accordingly  we  see  no 
sufficient  reason  for  abandoning  the  natural  explanation  of  the 
combination  b^rWi  *dm  proposed  by  Ewald,  which  is  rendered 
above  '  covenant-people.' 

The  question  arises  what  the  term  covenant  in  this  composite 
phrase  means.  The  answer  to  this  question  is  found  in  the  locus 
classicus  Jer.  xxxi.  30-3.  The  covenant  which  is  in  the  mind  of 
the  writer,  both  here  and  in  the  similar  passage,  Isa.  xlix.  8,  is  the 
new  covenant  of  a  renewed  spirit  which  Divine  grace  is  to  put 
into  the  heart  of  God's  people  Israel.  This  spiritually-renewed 
race  is  therefore  aptly  called  a  '  covenant-people '  destined  to 
become  a  light  to  the  Gentiles.  The  use  of  the  term  in  xlix.  8 
stands  in  close  connexion  with  the  Servant-passage  xlix.  i-6  (cf. 
verse  6  with  xlii.  i,  3), 

7.  The  great  function  of  this  covenant-race  in  the  world  is  now 
more  clearly  defined  :  '  opening  blind  eyes,  bringing  forth  from 
the  prison  the  captive.'  We  have  a  similar  construction  here  to 
that  in  xlix.  9,  in  which  we  have  like  metaphors  ^    Cf.  Ixi.  i,  3  foil. 

8.  The  ultimate  guarantee  for  the   validity  of  Yahweh's  call  to 

xlix.  8  b  is  held  to  be  a  gloss  derived  from  the  present  passa\a  -s. 
It  may  here  be  noted  that  in  this  last  passage  LXX  rendeh  'Y 
SiadrjKTju  kOvwv  i^ammtm  or  perhaps  gdyini^i,  while  in  xlii.  6  we  have 
ctj  5.  yivov^. 

Respecting  the  numerous  indications  of  Deutero-Isaianic  style  as 
well  as  underlying  ideas  of  verses  5-7,  see  Giesebrecht's  careful 
investigation,  Der  Knecht  Jahves  des  Deuterojesaia,  pp.  171-3, 
and,  regarding  the  dependence  of  these  verses  on  the  preceding 
(1-4),  see  ibid.  p.  142  foil. 

^  The  reference  here  is  to  the  same  construction  of  the  original 
Hebrew,  in  both  cases,  of  a  constructive  infinitive  with  the  preposition 
*to'  prefixed.  This  we  have  rendered  by  present  participles.  Cf. 
Davidson^  Heb.  Syntax,  §  93. 


ISAIAH  42.  9-II  85 

is  my  name :  and  my  glory  will  I  not  give  to  another, 
neither   my  praise  unto  graven   images.      Behold,   the  9 
former  things  are  come  to  pass,  and  new  things  do  I 
declare  :  before  they  spring  forth  I  tell  you  of  them. 

Sing  unto  the  Lord  a  new  song,  and  his  praise  from  10 
the  end  of  the  earth ;  ye  that  go  down  to  the  sea,  and  all 
that  is  therein,  the  isles,  and  the  inhabitants  thereof.    Let  1 1 
the  wilderness  and  the  cities  thereof  lift  up  their  voice,  the 

His  covenant-people  to  proclaim  the  true  religion  to  the  world 
consists  in  the  supreme  and  inalienable  majesty  of  Yahweh  Him- 
self.    That  majesty  cannot  be  possessed  by  mere  carved  images. 

9.  This  supreme  majesty  of  Yahweh  reveals  itself  in  the  certain 
knowledge  of  coming  events  which  He  communicates  to  His 
prophets.  Former  things  have  taken  place  as  His  prophets 
foretold.  Now  he  once  more  announces  a  fresh  event  before 
even  the  germs  of  that  event  reveal  their  existence.  What  this 
future  event  is  to  be  may  be  gathered  from  the  preceding  verses. 
It  is  to  be  the  redemption  of  Israel  and  the  other  races  of  the 
world  from  affliction  and  misery  by  God's  own  servant. 

Verses  10-13  is  a  '  new  song'  which  the  editor  attaches  at  the 
close  of  verse  9,  owing  to  the  mention  there  of  the  *  new  things  ^' 
This  poetic  passage  consisted  originally  of  four  stanzas  of  four 
lines  each,  one  of  which  is  apparently  defective.  It  is  an  ascription 
of  glory  to  Yahweh,  whose  march  as  a  warrior-hero  through  the 
desert  is  here  celebrated. 

10.  Echoes  of  this  opening  verse  are  to  be  found  in  later 
Psalm-literature,  e.g.  Pss.  xxxiii.  3,  xcvi.  i,  xcviii.  i,  cxlix.  i. 
The  proposed  emendation  of  Lowth  in  the  Hebrew  text  yiram 
instead  oi yorde  has  much  to  commend  it,  since  it  (i)  strengthens 
the  parallelism  and  gives  added  power  to  the  passage,  {ji)  -is 
supported  by  the  closely  parallel  passages  (probably  echoes  of 
this),  viz.  Ps.  xcvi.  11,  xcviii.  7.  This  probable  emendation  is 
supported  by  Oort,  Duhm,  Cheyne,  Marti,  and  other  recent  critics. 
Therefore  render  :  *  Let  the  sea  roar  and  its  fulness,  the  coast- 
lands  and  their  inhabitants.' 

11.  'Let  the  wilderness  and  its  towns  give  utterance'  (lift  up 
their  voice)  is  the  rendering  of  our  Hebrew  text.  But  the  LXX 
had  another  text  {ydsusu  instead  oi ytssu\  'Let  the  wilderness, 
&c.  .  .  .  rejoice '  (so  Cheyne,  Gratz,  and  Klostermann). 

^  On  this  principle  of  arrangement  through  key-words,  see  vol.  i, 
p.  iS  (on  chap.  i).     Cf.  the  remarks  on  xH.  6-7  above,  p.  68. 


86  ISAIAH  42.  12-14 

villages  that  Kedar  doth  inhabit;  let  the  inhabitants  of 
Sela  sing,  let  them  shout  from  the  top  of  the  mountains. 

1 2  Let  them  give  glory  unto  the  Lord,  and  declare  his  praise 

13  in  the  islands.  The  Lord  shall  go  forth  as  a  mighty 
man ;  he  shall  stir  up  jealousy  like  a  man  of  war :  he 
shall  cry,  yea,  he  shall  shout  aloud ;  he  shall  do  mightily 

14  against  his  enemies.    I  have  long  time  holden  my  peace; 

The  villages  here  are  properly  the  fixed  settlements  of  nomadic 
tribes  as  opposed  to  the  movable  encampments.  The  former 
were  surrounded  with  stones  in  order  to  obtain  security  from 
attack.  Kedar  was  an  Arabian  tribe  of  the  Syrian  desert  not  easy 
to  locate,  see  vol.  i,  p.  248 foil.,  note  on  xxi.  16  foil. 

For  sinjf  a  more  accurate  rendering  would  be  '  utter  a  ringing 
cry,'  which  is  not  only  more  descriptive  but  accords  better  with 
the  parallel  'shout.'  The  Heb.  word  Sela'  may  either  be  taken 
as  the  proper  name  of  the  chief  town  of  Nabataean  Edom  or  as 
merely  generic  '  rock,'  '  cliff,'  '  crag.'  The  latter  is  the  inter- 
pretation of  the  Peshitto,  RosenmuUer,  Gesenius,  Ewald,  and, 
among  recent  expositors,  Marti.  The  former  is  the  interpretation 
of  R.  V.^  If  we  are  to  be  guided  by  parallelism  our  choice  would 
incline  to  the  latter  signification.  Cliff-like  rocks  are  to  be  found 
in  the  Hauran  as  well  as  in  Edom. 

13.  Yahweh  prepares  Himself  like  a  warrior  for  martial  deeds. 
*  Like  a  combatant  He  shall  awaken  zeal — he  shall  shout,  yea, 
raise  a  battle-cry  ;  against  his  enemies  shall  show  Himself  a  doughty 
warrior  ^.'  The  under-current  of  thought  seems  to  be  that  Yahweh 
will  assume  the  character  of  war-god  against  Israel's  foes,  the 
Babylonians,  with  Cyrus  as  His  earthly  instrument. 

Verses  14-17  continue  the  strain  of  thought  suggested  at  the  close 
ot  the  preceding  'new  song.'    Yahweh  speaks.     His  attitude  of 

^  Also  supported  by  Vulg.  and  by  Vitringa,  Lowth,  Hitzig, 
Delitzsch,  Cheyne,  and  Duhm. 

^  The  LXX  render  the  last  clause,  'shall  shout  against  His 
enemies  with  strength.''  The  last  two  words  of  this  rendering  are 
obtained  by  dividing  the  last  word  of  the  Hebrew  text  so  as  to  make 
it  eth  g^bhArah,  i.e.  ri'j^rnN.    The  final  n  may  be  due  to  dittography 

through  the  presence  of  this  character  in  the  opening  of  the  following 
verse ;  or  it  is  possible  that  the  first  word  of  that  verse  was  read  as  a 
Kal.  Such  a  modal  use  of  the  preposition  eth  in  Hebrew  is  not  in 
accordance  with  usage. 


ISAIAH  42.  15-17  87 

I  have  been  still,  and  refrained  myself :  now  will  I  cry  out 
like  a  travailing  woman ;  I  will  gasp  and  pant  together. 
I  will  make  waste  mountains  and  hills,  and  dry  up  all  15 
their  herbs ;  and  I  will  make  the  rivers  islands,  and  will 
dry  up  the  pools.  And  I  will  bring  the  blind  by  a  way  16 
[that  they  know  not]  ;  in  paths  that  they  know  not  will  I 
lead  them :  I  will  make  darkness  light  before  them,  and 
crooked  places  straight.  These  things  will  I  do,  and  I 
will  not  forsake  them.     They  shall  be  turned  back,  they  17 

self-imposed  passivity  shall  no  longer  be  maintained.  The  metrical 
form  is  that  which  the  Deutero-Isaiah  so  commonly  adopts,  the 
long-lined  distichs,  which  we  have  already  seen  in  verses  8  and  9. 

14.  *  I  have  kept  silence  from  old  time,  keeping  still,  restraining 
myself.  Like  one  that  gives  birth  will  I  moan,  pant,  and  gasp 
together.'  How  long  is  the  retrospect  in  the  poet's  mind  when 
he  speaks  of  *  old  time '  ?  The  term  '61am,  which  here  expresses 
in  Hebrew  *  old  time,'  may  indeed  denote  an  unlimited  vista.  In 
the  present  case  we  can  extend  the  retrospect  to  the  beginning 
of  the  seventh  century,  but  not  earlier.  This  interval  of  150  years, 
since  Isaiah's  faith  was  rewarded  by  the  preservation  of  Jerusalem 
from  capture  by  Sennacherib,  might  well  come  under  this  category 
of  '  old  time.' 

15.  Z  will  make  the  rivers  islands  (or  coast-lands)  is  hardly 
intelligible,  since  the  Heb.  iyyim  (islands,  coast-lands),  like  its 
English  equivalents,  presupposes  the  existence  of  an  open  sea; 
but  this  is  obviousl}'  quite  out  of  place.  Accordingly  Oort's 
suggestion  to  read  styyah  or  styyoih,  '  dry  land,'  has  much  to  com- 
mend it,  though  the  LXX  have  translated  from  the  same  Hebrew 
text  as  our  own  ('  islands  '). 

16.  The  phrase  they  know  not,  occurring  in  both  the  opening 
clauses,  is  an  obstacle  to  the  proper  metric  length  of  the  first. 
Accordingly  Duhm,  Marti,  and  Cheyne  omit  it  in  the  first  place 
where  it  occurs  : — *  And  I  will  guide  the  blind  in  the  way,  in 
paths  they  have  not  known  will  I  direct  them.' 

For  crooked  places  straigrht  substitute  '  uneven  places  a  level 
plain.'  The  word  ntishor  means  not  'straight '  but  a  level  surface. 
Translate  :  *  These  are  the  things  which  I  shall  do.'  The  sentence 
really  contains  a  relative  clause. 

17.  We  suddenly  pass  to  a  scornful  reference  to  the  idolaters. 
The  connexion  with  the  preceding  verses  is  not  clear.  Duhm 
places  in  our  hands  the  right  key  to  the  explanation.  It  is  the 
expression  of  the  angry  impatience  at  the  prolonged  subjection  of 


88  ISAIAH  42.  18-20 

shall  be  greatly  ashamed,  that  trust  in  graven  images, 
that  say  unto  molten  images,  Ye  are  our  gods. 

18  Hear,  ye  deaf;  and  look,  ye  blind,  that  ye  may  see. 

19  Who  is  blind,  but  my  servant  ?  or  deaf,  as  my  messenger 
that  I  send  ?  who  is  blind  as  he  that  is  at  peace  with  me^ 

20  and  blind  as  the  Lord's  servant  ?     Thou  seest  many 
things,  but  thou  observest  not ;  his  ears  are  open,  but  he 

the  Hebrew  race  to  the  idolatrous  Babylonians  which  is  the 
under-current  of  the  preceding  verses  14  foil.  Now  that  deliverance 
is  to  come  at  last  from  Yahweh,  the  idol-worshipping  rulers  of 
the  Jews  shall  be  brought  to  feel  bitter  shame  at  the  impotence  of 
their  tutelary  gods^ 

Verses  18-25  contain  an  exhortation  and  lament  combined  over 
deaf  and  blind  Israel,  forsaken  and  oppressed,  whom  God  has 
punished  for  his  sin,  and  who  have  been  blind  to  the  fact.  It  is 
easy  to  see  here  the  link  which  connects  this  passage  addressed 
to  blind  and  deaf  Israel  with  the  preceding.  It  is  the  reference 
to  the  *  blind  '  in  verse  16. 

19.  '  He  that  is  at  peace  with  me '  (R.  V.),  '  made  perfect ' 
(R.  V.  marg.),  are  unsatisfactory  renderings,  the  former  being 
unwarranted  and  the  latter  scarcely  intelligible.  The  only  feasible 
interpretation  of  the  Heb.  original  trfishulldtn  is  'rewarded,' 
'paid'  (as  a  servant).  But  even  this  introduces  a  very  forced 
conception.  The  only  reasonable  course  appears  to  be  to  read 
the  Hebrew  characters  as  moshldm,  'devoted  one,'  i.e.  devoted 
to  God's  service.  Compare  the  kindred  Arabic  word  muslim  ^  or 
devoted  (follower  of  Muhammad  :  cf.  Islam,  which  literally  means 
'  devotion  ').  This  appears  to  the  present  writer  a  better  solution 
of  the  difficulty  than  any  attempted  reconstruction  of  the  text  on 
the  basis  of  what  certainly  appears  to  have  been  the  very  corrupted 
version  of  the  Hebrew  on  which  the  LXX  based  their  rendering. 
It  will  not,  therefore,  be  necessary  to  follow  the  proposals  of  Duhm 
in  this  direction  (in  the  second  edition  of  his  commentary). 

20.  Instead  of  his  ears  are  open  translate  :    *  hast  the  ears 

^  Reifmann's  ingenious  emendation  {yilb^shU  {or yebdshu),  'shall 
be  clothed  with  shame '  is  in  reality  quite  unnecessary.  The  LXX 
presuppose  here  our  Hebrew  text. 

^  In  reality  the  active  partic.  of  the  iv  form  corresponding  to  the 
Heb.  Hifil  or  causative.  On  the  other  hand  the  Heb.  moshldm  is 
the  passive  or  Hof'al.  The  root  of  the  verb  is  sh-l-m  {s-l-m),  '  to  be 
whole '  or  complete.  Thus  the  Hif'fl  means  to  give  oneself  wholly, 
devote  oneself,  obey. 


ISAIAH  42.  21-23  89 

heareth  not.     It  pleased  the  Lord,  for  his  righteousness'  21 
sake,  to  magnify  the  law,  and  make  it  honourable.     But  22 
this  is  a  people  robbed  and  spoiled ;  they  are  all  of  them 
snared  in  holes,  and  they  are  hid  in  prison  houses :  they 
are  for  a  prey,  and  none  delivereth  ;  for  a  spoil,  and  none 
saith.  Restore.     Who  is  there  among  you  that  will  give  23 
ear  to  this  ?  that  will  hearken  and  hear  for  the  time  to 


open,  yet  hearest  not,'  reading  in  this  last  clause  the  and  pers.  sing, 
(instead  of  the  3rd  of  our  Hebrew  text),  in  accordance  with  the 
indications  of  the  LXX.  We  seem  here  to  have  a  reflexion  of 
Isa,  vi.  9  foil.  Israel  has  heard  the  instructions  and  warnings  of  the 
prophets,  but  has  failed  to  apprehend  them. 

21.  The  idiom  of  the  loosely-appended  imperfects  '  is  correctly 
rendered  above  as  a  clause  expressive  of  purpose  dependent  on 
the  principal  sentence:  *  Yahweh  resolved'  ('it  pleased  the 
Lord ').  The  '  law  '  here  is  not  to  be  identified  with  the  legislation 
of  the  Book  of  Deuteronomy  promulgated  in  the  reign  of  Josiah 
(621  B.  c),  since  this  restricted  use  of  the  original  Hebrew  word 
/omh  belongs  to  post-exilian  times.  "While  iorah  may  include 
the  instruction  or  replies  given  by  the  priests,  its  prevailing 
significance  is  the  instruction  or  '  word  of  Yahweh '  delivered  by 
the  prophets.  We  might  here  identify  it  with  the  true  religion 
embodied  in  the  term  misJipdt  in  verses  i,  3  and  4  of  the  '  Servant- 
passage  '  with  which  this  chapter  opens.     See  note  on  chap.  i.  10. 

22  portrays  the  tragic  contrast  between  the  message  of  the 
Servant  of  Yahweh  to  His  people  and  the  abject  condition  and 
want  of  receptivity  which  the  people  displays. 

We  prefer  to  adopt  the  slight  emendation  of  the  verbal  form 
proposed  by  Lowth^,  which  seems  to  underlie  the  rendering  of  the 
R.  V.    For  are  for  it  is  more  idiomatic  to  translate  '  have  become.' 

23.  It  is  better  to  translate  throughout  by  present  instead  of 
future  tenses:  'gives  ear  to  this,  .  .  .  hearkens.'  The  question 
here  is  the  usual  rhetorical  form  of  the  O.  T.  which  anticipates 
a  negative  answer.  Cf.  Job  xl.  8,  9,  24,  xli.  1-7  (xl.  24-31,  Heb.). 
The  writer  portrays  the  pi-esent  dull  unintelligent  condition  of  his 
countrymen,  who  are  incapable  of  understanding  the  significance 
of  recent  history  and  of  God's  dealings  with  His  people. 


^  Gesenius-Kautzsch '^*',  §  120.  i  b;  Ewald,  §  285  c. 
^  viz.    hiipahA    (Hofal,  perf.  plur.),   'they  are   (or  have  been"*, 
snared.' 


90  ISAIAH  42.  24,  25 

24  come?  Who  gave  Jacob  for  a  spoil,  and  Israel  to  the 
robbers  ?  [did  not  the  Lord  ?  he  against  whom  we  have 
sinned,  and  in  whose  ways  they  would  not  walk,  neither 

25  were  they  obedient  unto  his  law].  Therefore  he  poured 
upon  him  the  fury  of  his  anger,  and  the  strength  of 
battle ;  and  it  set  him  on  fire  round  about,  yet  he  knew 
not ;  and  it  burned  him,  yet  he  laid  it  not  to  heart. 

24.  The  question  here  obviously  requires  the  answer :  *  Yahweh, 
who  had  inflicted  on  the  Jews  the  chastisement  ofthe  Babylonian 
conquest  and  spoliation  on  account  of  their  past  sins.'  Babylonia 
had  been  to  the  Jew  of  the  sixth  century  what  Assyria  had  been 
to  Israel  as  well  as  Judah  in  the  eighth,  '  the  rod  of  Divine  wrath ' 

(X.  5). 

The  sentence  that  follows  in  the  form  of  a  question  gives 
the  answer  to  the  preceding  query  :  ^  Was  it  not  Yahweh  against 
whom  we  have  sinned,  and  in  whose  ways  they  did  not  choose  to 
go,  and  to  whose  law  they  refused  to  hearken  ? '  Now  there  are 
several  reasons  for  regarding  this  as  a  later  gloss  which  a  scribe 
added  with  the  object  of  making  the  meaning  quite  clear — 
(i)  one  of  the  forms  employed  {3h  rendered  as  a  relative  in 
the  first  clause)  as  well  as  two  of  the  constructions  are  foreign  to 
the  Deutero-Isaiah ;  (2)  it  interrupts  the  sequence  between 
the  opening  of  verse  24  and  verse  25.  '  Therefore '  is  quite 
unnecessary  in  the  following  verse. 

25.  Render  simply  as  an  immediate  sequence  to  the  question 
which  opens  verse  24.  The  whole  passage  thus  becomes  quite 
natural. 

24.  'Who  gave   Jacob   to   the   plunderer — and   Israel  to  the 
robbers  .  .  . 

25.  And    poured    upon    him   his    indignant  wrath — and    the 
might  of  war. 

And  it  wrapped  him  in  flames  around  without  his  perceiving 
it — and  it  burned  him  without  his  laying  it  to  heart  ? ' 

The  reading  and  rendering  *  plunderer '  (Poel  partic.  m^sho- 
seh^)  is  that  of  our    Hebrew  text  {K^thib)   as  opposed   to  the 

^  Reading  here  the  construct  in  Heb.  instead  of  the  absol.  form 
(so  also  LXX  and  some  MSS.).  If  we  adhere  to  the  text  as  it  stands 
we  should  have  to  render :  '  poured  out  indignation  as  His  wrath ' 
(very  awkward). 

^  As  a  Poel  participial  form  it  is  quite  anomalous,  and  looks  like 
a  blending  of  forms  belonging  to  two  distinct  verbal  forms,  m^shasseh 


ISAIAH  43.  I  91 

But  now  thus  saith  the  Lord  that  created  thee,  O  42 
Jacob,  and  he  that  formed  thee,  O  Israel :  Fear  not,  for 
I  have  redeemed  thee ;  I  have  called  thee  by  thy  name, 

traditional  reading  in  the  Synagogue  {K're)  'plunder,'  R. V. 
'spoil'  {m^shissah).  The  latter  or  K^re  reading  is  sustained  by 
the  LXX,  while  the  former  gives  a  harmonious  parallelism  and  has 
the  support  of  recent  critics,  Cheyne,  Duhm,  and  Marti. 

Chapter  XLIII. 

Verses  1-7  are  a  continuation  of  the  poem  of  the  preceding 
chapter,  but  a  wondrous  change  in  Israel's  condition  is  disclosed. 
In  the  final  verses  of  the  preceding  chapter  a  vivid  description 
is  given  of  the  sharp  discipline  of  humiliation  and  suffering  to 
which  Israel,  Yahweh's  blind  and  deaf  servant,  has  been 
subjected.  Now  the  poet  sings  of  deliverance.  Let  not  Israel 
fear.  Amid  the  waters  that  threaten  to  overwhelm,  and  the 
fire  that  burns,  Yahweh  is  close  at  hand  to  deliver.  And  Israel's 
scattered  race  shall  not  be  lost,  but  gathered  together. 

1.  But  now  correctly  expresses  the  contrast.  This  phrase  in  the 
original  is  often  employed  at  the  beginning  of  a  new  strophe. 
The  verbs  '  create  '  and  '  form '  (fashion)  are  those  which  are 
employed  in  the  first  (Gen,  i,  Priestercodex  and  post-exilian)  and 
second  (Gen.  ii.  46  foil.,  Yahwistic  and  pre-exilian)  cosmogony 
respectively.  '  Create '  (bard),  however,  which  is  employed  in  the 
first  creation-story,  is  simply  used  to  express  God's  work  in 
constructing  the  universe.  The  assumption  that  it  signifies  to 
create  out  of  nothing  is  wholly  gratuitous,  and  has  been  the 
unfortunate  cause  of  many  difficulties,  and  is  obviously  an  im- 
possible meaning  here.  The  word  for  '  create  '  no  more  expresses 
this  than  the  word  for  'form.'  The  latter  verb  is  really  the  term 
used  to  describe  the  work  of  a  potter  in  Hebrew^.  Both  these 
characteristic  verbs  of  Gen.  i  and  ii  recur  frequently  throughout 
this  and  the  following  chapter,  viz.  xlii.  7,  15,  21,  xliv.  2, 
21,  24,  &c. 

I  have  redeemed  .  .  .  called.  The  perfect  tenses  are  em- 
ployed here  in  the  original  to  express  the  certainty  of  the  future 
event,  which  is  for  the  moment  treated  as  though  already  realized. 

and  m^shSses.  We  have,  however,  a  parallel  anomaly  with  the 
same  verbal  form  in  Isa.  x.  13.  Cf.  Gesenius-Kautzsch^®,  §  75, 
rem.  g  (z). 

^  The  word  for  '  form  '  in  Hebrew  is  ydsar,  which  means  to  fashion, 
to  mould.  A 'potter'  \s  yoser  {lit.  moulder — partic.  of  the  verb), 
the  very  term  that  occurs  in  this  verse.- 


92  ISAIAH  43.  2-4 

2  thou  art  mine.  When  thou  passest  through  the  waters,  I 
will  be  with  thee ;  and  through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not 
overflow  thee :  when  thou  walkest  through  the  fire,  thou 
shalt  not  be  burned ;  neither  shall  the  flame  kindle  upon 

3  thee.  For  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel,  thy  saviour;  I  have  given  Egypt  as  thy  ransom, 

4  Ethiopia  and   Seba   for  thee.     Since  thou   hast   been 

Cf.  xli.  lo,  14.  The  LXX  had  in  their  text,  '  I  have  called  thee  by 
thy  name,'  whereas  in  our  own  the  personal  object  of  the  verb  is 
omitted.  The  expression  here  denotes  the  confidential  and 
intimate  relation  between  Yahweh  and  Israel,  and  also  the  fact 
that  Israel  as  His  servant  is  set  apart  for  a  special  service  ;  cf. 
Exod,  xxxi.  2  foil.  ;  Isa.  xlv.  3,  4.  '  Thou  art  mine '  clearly  sets 
forth  this  very  unique  relationship,  *  God  has  many  servants,  but 
the  foreign  nations  are  for  Him  unnamed '  (Duhm). 

2.  Pire  and  waters  are  material  metaphors  intended  to  convey 
the  idea  of  human  calamity  and  suffering,  as  in  Ps.  Ixvi.  12 
(Rosenmuller).  Translate  :  '  when  thou  passest  through  fire  thou 
shalt  not  be  branded.'  The  verb  in  Hebrew  rendered  ^burn*  is 
more  correctly  interpreted  '  brand '  (Prov.  vi.  28,  R.  V.  '  scorched,' 
where  the  same  Hebrew  form  is  used).  A  derivative  of  the  same 
verb  occurs  in  Exod.  xxi.  25  (properly  '  brand  for  brand ').  On 
the  other  hand,  the  last  clause  should  be  translated  'and  flame 
shall  not  burn  tliee.' 

3.  The  ground  of  Israel's  safety  is  here  stated.  '  I,  Yahweh, 
am  thy  God.' 

Selja  here  is  not  to  be  confused  with  Sheba  (or  the  Sabaeans 
in  Southern  Arabia).  Both  are  mentioned  together  as  distinct  in 
Ps.  Ixxii.  10  ^  and  Gen.  x.  7.  Seba,  as  distinguished  from  Sheba, 
is  connected  in  Gen.  x.  7  with  Gush  or  Ethiopia.  According  to 
Dillmann's  careful  note  on  that  passage  Seba  was  a  branch  of  the 
Ethiopian  race  which  was  probably  situated  on  the  African  side 
of  the  Red  Sea.  But  the  subject  is  certainly  obscure.  The  LXX 
read  here  in  their  Hebrew  text,  instead  of  Saba  (as  in  Ps.  Ixxii.  10), 
Soene,  i.  e.  Syene  or  Assuan  ^,  unless  we  are  to  regard  So6ne  as 
their  identification  of  the  Hebrew  Seba.  Cf.  Drivers  Genesis,  ad  he. 

^  Sheba  was  evidently  well  known  to  the  Greek  translator,  as  it 
was  to  the  ancient  Assyrians  in  the  days  of  Tiglath-Pileser  III  (see 
Schrader,  COT.,  \,  p.  131  foil.),  and  Sargon.  Hence  he  renders  in 
LXX  by  'Arabians.'  But  it  seems  to  have  been  otherwise  with  Seba, 
which  is  reproduced  as  Saba. 

^  In  Heb.  nsiD,  cf.  Ezek.  xxix.  10. 


ISAIAH  43.  5-8  93 

precious  in  my  sight,  and  honourable,  and  I  have  loved 
thee ;  therefore  will  I  give  men  for  thee,  and  peoples  for 
thy  life.     Fear  not ;  for  I  am  v^ith  thee  :  I  will  bring  thy  5 
seed  from  the  east,  and  gather  thee  from  the  west ;  I  will  6 
say  to  the  north,  Give  up ;  and  to  the  southj  Keep  not 
back;  bring  my  sons  from  far,  and  my  daughters  from 
the  end  of  the  earth ;   every  one  that  is  called  by  my  7 
name,  and  whom  I  have  created  for  my  glory  ;   I  have 
formed  him ;   yea,  I  have  made  him.     Bring  forth  the  8 

What  is  meant  by  the  expression  '  I  give  Egypt  as  thy  ransom '  ? 
Obviously  Yahweh's  universal  sovereignty  is  presupposed.  Egypt, 
Ethiopia,  and  Seba  are  at  His  disposal  as  payment  for  Israel's 
emancipation.  To  whom  is  such  payment  to  be  made  ?  At  this 
time  Israel  w^as  subject  to  Babylonia.  But  now  Babylonia  was  no 
longer  as  powerful  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Nebuchadrezzar.  The 
conquest  of  Egypt  in  the  degenerate  age  of  the  last  king  of  Baby- 
lonia, Nabonidus,  would  not  have  been  conceivable  by  the 
Deutero-Isaiah.  The  prophet  is  evidently  thinking  of  Cyrus, 
Yahweh's  anointed,  who  was  to  emancipate  the  exiled  Jews  and 
was  to  receive  the  territories  on  the  Nile  as  an  equivalent.  The 
actual  conquest  of  Egypt  was  accomplished  by  his  successor, 
Cambyses,  in  525  b.  c,  after  the  battle  of  Pelusium. 

4.  men  (or  mankind)  forms  a  natural  analogue  to  peoples  in 
the  parallel  clause  that  follows.  There  is  no  need  to  alter  the 
Hebrew  text  for  '  men  '  into  the  similar  word  for  *  land'  or  '  soil ' 
with  Duhm,  Cheyne,  and  Oort.  The  LXX  version  supports  the 
Hebrew  text  before  us  *.  The  outcome  of  God's  special  love  for 
Israel  is  exhibited  in  the  verses  that  follow. 

Verses  5-7  describe  the  reassembling  of  the  scattered  Hebrews 
(the  Dispersion),  cf.  xlix.  12. 

7.  The  clauses  at  the  end  of  the  verse  *  I  have  formed  him  ;  yea, 
I  have  made  him,'  should  be  connected  with  the  relative  clause  that 
precedes,  thus  :  '  whom  I  have  created  for  my  glory,  have  formed, 
yea,  have  made.' 

Verses  8-13.  Here  we  have  another  judgment-scene  before 
Yahweh.  The  heathen  nations  are  assembled,  and  Yahweh 
demands  that  His  people  Israel,  which  is  blind  and  deaf,  yet  has 
seen  and  heard,  should  be  brought  forward  as  a  witness.  For 
Israel  at  least  knows,  blind  and  deaf  though  he  be,  that  there  is  no 

^  In  the  LXX  apxoj'Tas,  stands  as  the  rendering  of  the  Hebrew  word 
for  *  peoples,'  just  as  in  xxxlv.  1,  xli.  i» 


94  ISAIAH  43.  9 

blind  people  that  have  eyes,  and  the  deaf  that  have  ears. 
9  Let  all  the  nations  be  gathered  together,  and  let  the 
peoples  be  assembled :  who  among  them  can  declare 
this,  and  shew  us  former  things?  let  them  bring  their 
witnesses,  that  they  may  be  justified  :  or  let  them  hear, 

other  God  but  Yahweh,  and  that  beside  Him  there  is  none  that 
can  save. 

8.  Perhaps  the  more  idiomatic  rendering  (following  the  true 
reading,  which  is  here  an  absol.  infin.  and  not  an  imperative  ^) 
should  be  '  Let  them  bring  forth  the  blind  people  that  has  eyes  .  .  . 
Though  the  people  be  blind  and  deaf,  it  has  eyes  to  see  and  ears 
to  hear  the  plain  fact  and  testify  to  it  among  the  assembled 
nations,  viz.  that  Yahweh  is  God  alone.' 

9.  R.  V.  here  is  not  in  accordance  with  our  Hebrew  text, 
which  can  hardly  be  taken  as  an  imperative,  but  as  an  indicative 
(as  the  LXX  interpret).  By  a  slight  change  in  the  vowel-points 
of  the  second  verb^  (translated  'assembled')  we  obtain  a  con- 
sistent meaning.  Translate  :  *  All  the  nations  have  been  gathered 
together  and  the  peoples  have  been  assembled.'  These  assembled 
nations  through  their  representatives  (the  divinely  inspired  sooth- 
sayers, as  we  may  assume)  are  to  be  put  to  the  test.  What  have 
they  to  declare? 

This  is  a  favourite  conception  of  the  prophet.  Cf,  above  xli. 
I  foil,,  21  foil.  Translate  :  'Who  among  them  will  announce  this 
or  make  known  to  us  former^  things.'  The  word  '  this'  refers  to 
the  reassuring  message  of  the  preceding  verses  that  God  in  His 
unceasing  love  will  gather  the  scattered  Israel  together  and 
restore  His  people,  and  that  there  is  no  other  power  that  can 
save.  The  nations  are  challenged  to  produce  their  witnesses.  In 
the  closing  hues  of  this  verse  it  would  be  best  to  adopt  Duhm's 
suggested  punctuation  of  the  text  (yasdiku)  and  render  :  '  Let 
them  produce  their  witnesses  so  as  to  justify  them,  and  say  :  it  is 
truth.'  The  foreign  nations  are  to  support  the  statements  which 
their  witnesses  make  on  their  behalf. 

*  HSs^  instead  of  hdst. 

'  Proposed  by  Oort,  and  supported  by  Duhm  and  Marti. 

^  *  Declare  (or  make  known)  former  things  '  is  a  favourite  expres- 
sion of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  :  cf.  xli.  22,  xlii.  9.  The  meaning  is  fairly 
clear.  Prophecy  from  the  days  of  Ezekiel  onwards  had  begun  to  be 
more  retrospective.  The  '  former  things '  refer  to  the  manifestation 
of  Divine  power  in  Israel's  past  history.  There  is  no  reason  to 
modify  the  text  as  Cheyne  and  Marti  suggest,  and  render :  *  and  as 
the  first  one  declare  it  unto  us.* 


ISAIAH  43.  10-14  95 

and  say,   It  is  truth.     Ye  are  my  witnesses,  saith  the  10 
Lord,  and  my  servant  whom  I  have  chosen  :   that  ye 
may  know  and  believe  me,  and  understand  that  I  am 
he ;   before  me  there  was  no  God  formed^  neither  shall 
there  be  after  me.     I,  even  I,  am  the  Lord  ;  and  beside  11 
me  there  is  no  saviour.     I  have  declared,  and  I  have  12 
saved,  and  I  have  shewed,  and  there  was  no  strange  god 
among  you:   therefore  ye  are  my  witnesses,  saith  the 
Lord,  and  I  am  God.    Yea,  since  the  day  was  I  am  he ;  1 3 
and  there  is  none  that  can  deliver  out  of  my  hand  :  I  will 
work,  and  who  shall  let  it  ? 

Thus  saith  the  Lord,  your  redeemer,  the  Holy  One  of  14 

10.  The  nations  meet  the  challenge  with  silence.  Yahweh 
therefore  turns  to  His  own  people,  blind  and  deaf  though  they  be, 
and  addresses  them  with  the  words  *  ye  are  my  witnesses.' 
Yahweh  is  declared  to  be,  both  in  the  past,  present,  and  future, 
exclusive  Divine  potentate,  solitary  in  His  sway. 

It  is  possible  that  we  may  see  here  with  Gunkel  {Schopfuttg 
u.  Chaos,  p.  137)  a  polemic  against  Babylonian  mythology,  which 
represented  that  Marduk  (whose  unique  position  in  the  Babylonian 
pantheon  was  a  later  development)  obtained  rule  by  command  of 
'  the  gods,  his  fathers '  and  created  the  world  by  the  help  of  others. 
The  considerations  already  adduced  in  the  notes  on  xli.  21-23 
would  lead  us  to  regard  this  view  of  Gunkel  as  by  no  means  impro- 
bable.   Cf.  Creation-epic  (Delitzsch),  i.  lines  9  foil.,  ii.  lines  129  foil. 

12.  '  There  was  no  strange  (or  foreign)  god  among  you,'  i.  e. 
potent  and  effective.  In  the  original  there  is  no  word  '  god,'  but 
only  'strange  (one).' 

13.  Instead  of  since  the  day  was  ^  translate  :  '  from  hence- 
forth '  (similarly  R.  V.  margin). 

wlio  shall  let  it :  i.  e.  arrest  it,  is  a  correct  interpretation  of 
the  Hebrew  original,  which  strictly  means  *  turn  it  back ' ;  see 
note  in  vol.  i  on  Isa.  ix.  12.  The  LXX  give  the  strict  and  literal 
rendering. 

Verses  14-21.  God's  mighty  works  in  the  past,  when  Israel  was 

'  The  LXX  render  :  '  ever  since  the  beginning  '  (similarly  other 
verses),  literally,  *  ever  since  a  day  was,'  a  rendering  approved  by 
Rosenmuller^  Gesenius,  and  Hitzig>  but  more  than  doubtful,  as  a 
translation  of  the  Hebrew. 


96  ISAIAH  43.  14 

Israel :  For  your  sake  I  have  sent  to  Babylon,  and  I  will 
bring  down  all  of  them  as  fugitives,  even  the  Chaldeans, 

led  forth  from  Egypt,  are  not  to  be  compared  with  the  impending 
overthrow  of  Babylon  and  Israel's  return,  verses  14  foil.  For 
Israel's  sake  God  will  overthrow  the  Babylonian  empire  (Chal- 
dees)  and  set  up  a  way  through  the  wilderness. 

In  verse  14  the  perfect  form  of  the  Hebrew  verb  rendered  '  I  have 
sent '  should  be  taken  as  Ewald,  Orelli,  and  others  have  correctly 
understood  it,  viz.  as  a  prophetic  perfect.  Accordingly  translate  : 
^  I  will  send  to  Babylon  and  bring  down  .  .  .'  We  are  not  to 
suppose  with  Hitzig  that  a  battle  had  already  been  lost  by  the 
Chaldaeans.  In  our  opinion  the  difficulties  of  this  verse  have 
been  somewhat  exaggerated,  and  there  is  no  necessity,  as 
Duhm  imagines,  for  rejecting  almost  the  whole  of  our  tradi- 
tional Hebrew  text  which  the  LXX  support  nearly  in  its  integrity. 
The  R.  V.  adheres  to  the  Massoretic  punctuation  and  rightly 
renders  the  Hebrew  bdnhtm  by  *  fugitives '  (so  also  LXX), 
whereas  the  A.  V.  have  <  nobles '  {lit,  '  bars  '),  which  involves  the 
reading  of  the  text  as  b^rihUn  (from  b^riah)  *.  There  is  no  other 
example  of  this  special  metaphorical  use  of  the  word,  though 
parallels  can  easily  be  found  (e.  g.  '  tent-peg '  for  leader  of  the  state, 
Zech.  X.  4  ;  'shield,'  Ps.  xlvii.  lo  {A.V.  9),  usually  a  designation 
of  God,  Gen.  xv.  i ;  Ps.  iii.  4  {A.V.  3),  xviii.  3,  31  {A.V.  2,  30),  cxliv. 
2,  7,  n  ;  'foundation,'  Ps.  xi.  3}.  Accordingly  there  is  no  sufficient 
reason  for  departing  from  the  text  and  interpretation  upon  which 
the  LXX  mainly  based  their  rendering.  Dillmann's  translation, 
'and  I  will  drive  them  all  as  fugitives  down  the  stream,'  though 
ridiculed  in  Duhm's  characteristic  manner,  is  open  to  no  serious 
objection.  The  conception  of  the  passage  is  that  Babylon  will  be 
overwhelmed  with  panic  on  hearing  of  the  advancing  foe,  and  will 
take  to  flight  on  their  vessels  that  plied  on  the  Euphrates  stream, 
much  in  the  same  way  as  Merodach-Baladan  after  his  defeat  by 
Sennacherib.  Cf.  cylind.  insc,  col.  iii,  lines  55-7,  quoted  in 
Schrader,  COT.,  vol.  ii,  p.  36.  Respecting  the  navy  possessed  by 
the  Babylonians  see  Herod,  i.  194  ;  Strabo,  xvi.  i,  g  foil. ;  and 
xxxiii.  21,  23  (see  vol.  i). 

As  might  be  expected,  the  emendators  are  busy  with  their 
proposed  remedies.  Of  these  the  most  ingenious  is  that  of  Ewald, 
who  would  amend  the  text  of  the  whole  passage,  which  he  trans- 
lates :  'I  send  to  Babylon  and  plunge  in  moans  their  lyres  and 

^  Vulg.  Ibn  Ezra  ;  Clericus  and  Lowth  would  render :  *  I  break 
down  all  the  bars  (i.e.  of  the  gates).  The  barriers  are  broken  down 
before  the  advancing  enemy.'  But  this  does  not  harmonize  with  the 
next  clause. 


ISAIAH  43.  15-18 


97 


in  the  ships  of  their  rejoicing.     I  am  the   Lord,  your  i; 
Holy  One,  the  Creator  of  Israel,  your  King.     Thus  saith  1 6 
the  Lord,  which  maketh  a  way  in  the  sea,  and  a  path  in 
the  mighty  waters  ;  which  bringeth  forth  the  chariot  and  17 
horse,  the  army  and  the  power  :  they  lie  down  together, 
they  shall  not  rise ;  they  are  extinct,  they  are  quenched 
as  flax :    Remember  ye  not  the  former  things,  neither  18 

the  exultation  of  the  Chaldaeans  in  sighs.'  This  certainly  makes 
good  parallelism,  but  the  word  which  is  rendered  *  moans'  is  a 
clever  invention  by  Ewald  himself  based  on  the  verbal  form  found 
in  Zech.  i.  14. 

It  is  undoubtedly  the  last  clause  which  constitutes  the  difficulty. 
While  our  A.  V.  takes  it  as  relative,  '  and  the  Chaldaeans  whose 
cry  is  in  the  ships,'  the  R.  V.  given  above  (so  also  the  late  Franz 
Delitzsch)  presents  a  more  natural  interpretation.  The  ships  of 
their  rejoicing  is  a  Hebraism  for  '  the  ships  in  which  they 
exult.' 

15  characterizes  the  Divine  author  of  this  mighty  overthrow. 
It  is  indeed  possible  that  this  verse  should  be  united  closely  with 
the  preceding  so  as  to  form  one  sentence.  Verse  15  then  forms 
an  effective  appositional  clause  to  the  subject  of  the  verbs,  '  I  will 
send  to  Babylon  and  bring  down  .  .  . '  (in  verse  14).  We  should 
then  omit  the  word  '  am,'  which  does  not  stand  in  the  Hebrew 
text\  and  render,  'I,  Yahweh,  your  Holy  One...*  Duhm. 
while  admitting  the  reasonableness  of  this  construction,  considers 
that  the  distance  from  the  verb  in  the  preceding  verse  is  a  serious 
objection.  On  the  other  hand,  prolonged  sentences,  with  apposi- 
tional clauses  characterizing  the  greatness  of  Yahweh,  are  not 
infrequent  in  the  Deutero- Isaiah  (xl.  22  foil.,  xlii.  5  foil.,  &c.). 

16  is  based  on  the  reminiscence  of  the  great  deliverance  from 
Egypt  that  constituted  Israel  a  nation.  The  link  between  this 
verse  and  verse  14  (which  refers  to  the  future)  is  the  phrase  in 
verse  15,  '  the  Creator  of  Israel.' 

1*7.  The  language  of  this  verse  suggests  the  possibility  that  the 
author  was  familiar  with  the  J  and  E  portions  of  Exod.  xiv,  xv. 
R.  V.  marg.  correctly  interprets  '  flax  '  by  '  a  wick.' 

18.  But  these  mighty  acts  of  deliverance  whereby  Yahweh 
created   Israel   as  a   nation  are  not  to  be    compared    with  the 

^  In  a  Hebrew  clause  which  is  predicative  the  copula  is  omitted. 
Accordingly  an  alternative  rendering  is  possible,  either  '  I  am  the 
Lord,  your  Holy  One,  &c.,'  as  given  above,  or  '  I,  the  Lord,  your 
Holy  One,  &c.,*  as  suggested  above  in  the  note. 


98  ISAIAH  43.  19-21 

19  consider  the  things  of  old.  Behold,  I  will  do  a  new 
thing ;  now  shall  it  spring  forth ;  shall  ye  not  know  it  ?  I 
will  even  make  a  way  in  the  wilderness,  and  rivers  in  the 

20  desert.  The  beasts  of  the  field  shall  honour  me,  the 
jackals  and  the  ostriches :  because  I  give  waters  in  the 
wilderness,  and  rivers  in  the  desert,  to  give  drink  to  my 

21  people,  my  chosen  :  the  people  which  I  formed  for  my- 

wonders  that  are  to  be  accomplished  not  only  in  the  overthrow 
of  Babylon  but  in  Israel's  restoration. 

19.  The  creation  of  waters  in  the  desert,  where  dry  land  was, 
is  regarded  as  more  marvellous  than  the  creation  of  dry  land 
where  waters  were.  Translate  :  *  Behold  !  I  am  doing  (or  '  am 
about  to  do ')  a  new  thing.  Now  it  is  sprouting  (i.  e.  coming  to 
be  realized),  do  ye  not  perceive  it  ?  Indeed,  I  will  make  a  way 
in  the  wilderness '  :  cf.  xlii.  16,  also  xl.  4,  xli.  18. 

20.  Even  wild  animals,  jackals  and  ostriches,  are  to  pay  their 
homage  to  Yahweh.  This  conception,  so  strange  to  modern  man, 
reflects  the  spirit  of  a  primitive  age  when  man  stood  nearer  to  the 
animal  world,  and  sympathy  between  man  and  animals  was  a  real 
feeling  and  not  an  artificial  sentiment.  On  this  feeling  in  primitive 
tribes,  see  Robertson  Smith,  RS.'^  pp.  296-300.  It  is  also  reflected 
in  Isa.  xi.  6-9.  Cf.  Num.  xxii.  22,  33  (J)  ;  Isa.  xxxiv.  13-17, 
and  the  Arabic  story  of  Queen  Bilkis  (in  Brunnow's  Chrestomathy). 

The  latter  part  of  this  verse,  '  For  I  give  waters  in  the  wilder- 
ness, &c.,'  as  well  as  verse  21,  are  regarded  by  Duhm,  Cheyne, 
and  Marti  as  a  later  addendum  on  what  appear  to  the  present 
writer  insufficient  reasons.  Duhm  refers  to  the  repetitions  of 
the  ideas  and  phraseology  of  verse  19  in  the  latter  part  of  verse 
20,  but  himself  acknowledges  that  such  repetitions  in  Deutero- 
Isaiah  are  not  infrequent,  and  appears  to  hesitate  on  the  subject  of 
the  genuineness,  but  concludes  by  saying  :  '  Nevertheless  the 
opinion  that  Deutero- Isaiah  did  not  write  beyond  the  earlier  part 
of  verse  20  appears  to  me  more  probable.'  The  only  ground  for 
rejecting  the  genuineness  of  the  passage  and  referring  it  to  a  later 
date  is  the  use  of  the  relative  zu  (employed  in  *  the  people  which 
I  formed  '),  which  occurs  in  the  interpolated  passage  xlii.  24 
(see  note).  Marti  calls  attention  to  the  3rd  person  used  here, 
whereas  in  verses  18  and  19  God's  people  is  directly  addressed 
in  the  2nd  person.  But  in  prophetic  address  uniformity  in  style 
is  not  to  be  expected  or  desiderated.  Is  the  solitary  trait  of 
language,  the  relative  zil,  a  sufficient  reason  for  rejecting  the 
genuineness  of  the  passage  ?  The  R.  V.  rightly  regards  the  last 
clause  as  relative.    Translate  :  'The  people  which  I  fashioned  for 


ISAIAH  43.  22,23  99 

self,  that  they  might  set  forth  my  praise.     Yet  thou  hast  23 
not  called  upon  me,  O  Jacob ;  but  thou  hast  been  weary 
of  me,  O  Israel.     Thou  hast  not  brought  me  the  small  23 
cattle  of  thy  burnt  offerings  ;  neither  hast  thou  honoured 
me  with  thy  sacrifices.     I  have  not  made  thee  to  serve 

myself,  which  is  to  recount  my  praise,'  the  verse  being  appositional 
to  the  clause  which  precedes  in  verse  20  (cf.  verse  15). 

Verses  22 — xliv.  5  are  an  impassioned  pleading  by  Yahweh  with 
Israel  over  his  indifference  and  neglect.  The  appeal  ends  with 
a  promise  of  spiritual  quickening. 

22.  The  R.  V.  fails  to  express  the  emphasis  of  the  personal 
pronoun  which  is  made  prominent  in  the  original.  Render : 
*  Yet  not  upon  me  hast  thou  called,  O  Jacob,  nor  about  me  hast 
thou  wearied  thyself,  O  Israel.'  So  Cheyne  (with  Duhm  and 
Marti).  In  the  latter  clause  the  Hebrew  text  has  become  hope- 
lessly confused  owing  to  the  mistake  of  a  single  character '  and 
the  omission  of  the  negative  which  both  the  LXX  and  considera- 
tions of  metre  require  us  to  replace  at  the  beginning  of  the 
second  clause.  The  Hebrew  word  for  '  wearied  (or  troubled) 
thyself  is  characteristic  of  the  exilian  and  post-exilian  period  : 
cf.  Job  ix.  29  ;  Prov.  xxiii.  4. 

23  develops  the  idea  still  further  in  terms  of  ceremonial 
worship.  For  small  cattle  substitute  the  more  specific  rendering 
'  lamb.'  In  the  parallel  clauses  we  have  the  contrast  between  the 
'burnt-offerings'  and  the  '  slaughtered- offerings'  or  bloody  sacri- 
fices. The  translation  of  A.  V.  and  R.  V.,  *  sacrifices,'  is  too  vague, 
and  does  not  express  this  contrast  in  the  two  forms  of  animal 
sacrifices.     Instead  of  sacrifices  read  '  slaughtered  offerings.' 

Since  Babylonia,  the  land  of  exile,  being  a  foreign  land,  was 
regarded  in  the  religious  conceptions  that  prevailed  at  that  time 
as  unclean,  because  God's  presence  and  power  were  not  manifested 
there,  but  in  Palestine,  the  old  seat  of  Divine  worship  2,  no  offerings 
were  possible  to  the  exiled  Jews  (cf.  Hos.  ix.  4  foil.  ;  Ps.  H.  18  foil ; 
Deut.  xii.  13  foil.).  Consequently  the  older  critics,  as  Hengstenberg, 
employed  this  verse  as  an  argument  for  the  pre-exilian,  i.  e. 
Isaianic,  authorship  of  these  later  chapters  of  the  Book  of  Isaiah. 
But  the  conclusion  of  this  as  well  as  the  following  verse  shows 

^  bi  misread  as  kt.  The  difference  in  the  square  Hebrew  charac- 
ter is  very  slight.  The  result  is  an  unnecessary  repetition  of  bt  after 
the  verb. 

^  In  the  later  times  of  the  Jewish  monarchy,  i.  e.  since  the 
promulgation  of  the  Deuteronomic  code  621  B.  c,  Jerusalem  only 
was  the  recognized  seat  of  God's  worship. 

H   2 


TOO  ISAIAH  43.  24 

24  \Yith  offerings,  nor  wearied  thee  with  frankincense.    Thou 
hast  bought  me  no  sweet  cane  with  money,  neither  hast 

that  such  literalism  is  out  of  place  here.  It  is  the  attitude  of 
mind  which  outer  ceremonial  ought  to  express  that  the  prophet 
desiderates,  and  it  is  the  absence  of  it  which  he  rebukes  :  '  The 
sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit'  (Ps.  li.  17).  But  this 
'sacrifice  of  a  broken  and  contrite  heart'  Israel  at  this  time  did 
not  offer.  It  was  wholly  impossible  for  Isaiah  himself,  who 
declared  that  God  had  no  pleasure  in  burnt  ofiferings  of  rams  and 
the  fat  of  fed  beasts,  or  in  the  blood  of  bullocks  or  lambs,  and  that 
incense  was  an  abomination  to  Him  (i.  1 1-14),  to  lay  stress  upon  the 
punctilious  fulfilment  of  these  and  similar  ri'tual  obligations.  Still 
more  was  this  impossible  for  a  true  disciple  of  the  school  of 
Jeremiah,  the  prophet  of  the  New  Covenant  (Jer.  xxxi.  31-4, 
of.  vii.  21-23),  such  as  we  have  already  seen  the  Deutero-Isaiah, 
together  with  the  author  of  the  '  Servant-songs,'  to  have  been 
(xlii,  6  ;  see  also  notes). 

The  concluding  words  of  this  verse  clearly  show  that  during 
the  exile  no  burdens  of  ritual  fulfilment  were  expected.  *  I  have 
not  made  thee  to  serve  (me)  with  meal  ofiferings,  nor  put  thee  to 
trouble  with  frankincense.'  The  very  ritual  terms  here  employed 
belong  to  a  later  period  than  that  of  pre-exilian  cultus.  It  is  true 
that  tlie  word  {mmhah),  which  our  R.  V.  renders  '  offerings,'  was 
employed  in  pre-exilian  times,  but  its  use  in  earlier  days  was 
general  and  not  specific.  Gen.  iv.  4,  5  (J)  applies  the  term 
equally  to  the  slaughtered  offering  of  Abel  and  the  vegetable 
offering  of  Cain.  The  word  properly  means  gift  or  tribute,  and  is 
occasionally  used  in  the  latter  sense  (Judges  iii.  15  ;  2  Sam.  viii. 
2,  6  ;  I  Kings  v.  i  ;  2  Kings  xvii.  4 ;  Ps.  Ixxii.  10).  But  as  a 
ritual  term  in  pre-exilian  times  its  application  fluctuates  [?].  Thus 
in  Judges  xiii.  19  (according  to  Budde  from  the  J  source),  Amos 
v.  25,  and  Isa.  xix.  21  (see  note  in  vol.  i)  it  means  a  vegetable 
(i.  e.  meal)  offering  as  opposed  to  a  bloody  offering.  On  the 
other  hand,  in  post-exilian  times,  and  especially  in  P  (Lev.  ii.  i, 
4-6,  vi.  7  foil,,  &c.),  it  exclusively  refers  as  a  ritual  term  to  the 
;«<?a/-offering,  as  it  unquestionably  does  here.  The  word  for 
frankincense  {l^bhonahy  belongs  (with  the  exception  of  Jer,  vi.  20) 
to  the  exilian  and  post-exilian  period  (e.  g,  Exod,  xxx,  34). 

24.  There  is  an  alliterative  play  of  expression  in  the  Hebrew 


*  Arabic  lubdn,  Greek  \tl3avajT6s.  From  Ezek.  xxvii.  22;  Isa.  Ix. 
6  (cf.  Jer.  vi.  20)  we  learn  that  this  frankincense  was  exported  from 
Arabia.  This  is  confirmed  by  Pliny,  who  tells  us  that  it  was  exported 
from  Sabota,  capital  of  Hadramaut,  to  Gaza ;  cf.  nebrc7v  Antiquities, 
p.  107  foil.,  and  Sachau,  T/wee  Aramaic  Papyri    German),  i,  line  25. 


ISAIAH  43.  25  loi 

thou  filled  me  with  the  fat  of  thy  sacritices :  but  thou 
hast  made  me  to  serve  with  thy  sins,  thou  hast  wearied 
me  with  thine  iniquities.     I,  even  I,  am  he  that  blotteth  25 

word  for  boug-ht  and  for  sweet-cane  (or  calamus),  which  can 
hardly  be  reproduced  in  English  unless  we  were  to  adopt  such 
a  rendering  as  '  In  my  honour  hast  thou  not  for  money  catered  for 
sv/eet-ca«^ '  in  order  to  express  the  assonance.  Here  again  the 
ritual  expression  points  to  a  later  period.  In  the  pre-exilian 
prophets,  e.g.  Isaiah,  'incense'  [k^toreth)  means  simply  the 
smoke  of  the  burnt  fat  in  sacrifices  (Isa.  i.  13,  on  which  compare 
note  in  vol.  i),  whereas  contact  with  Babylonia,  where  elaborate 
rituals  were  practised  and  the  incense  offered  to  the  gods  was 
compounded  of  the  varied  ingredients  of  cedar-wood,  cypress- 
wood,  meal,  and  sweet  cane^  {kanu :  cf.  the  Heb.  kdneh), 
furnished  the  exiled  Jews  with  new  models  for  their  worship. 
Hence  the  elaborate  prescriptions  for  the  compounding  of  incense 
in  Exod.  xxx.  34  foil.  (P) ;  cf.  2  Chron.  ii.  4  (3  Heb.),  xiii.  11.  There 
can  be  little  doubt  that  post-exilian  Judaism  ultimately  derived  these 
more  highly-developed  traditions  of  worship  from  Babylonia,  just 
as  they  borrowed  their  ecclesiastical  calendar,  beginning  with 
Nisan,  as  well  as  the  names  of  its  months^,  from  the  same  source. 
An  excellent  instance  of  the  Babylonian  use  of  fragrant  spices  as 
ingredients  of  their  sacrifices  is  furnished  by  the  Flood-legend, 
forming  the  eleventh  tablet  of  the  Gilgauesh-epic,  lines  158  foil.  : 

'  Twice  seven  sacrificial  vessels  I  erected  ; 
Under  them  scattered  calamus  (sweet  cane),  cedar-wood, 

and  myrrh. 
The  gods  smelt  the  scent. 
The  gods  smelt  the  fragrance. 
The  gods  gathered  like  flies  over  the  sacrifices.' 

(See  Jensen  in  KiB.  vi,  erste  Halfte,  p.  240.) 

For  filled  read  with  R.  V.  marg.  '  satiated.' 

Owing  to  the  very  conditions  of  their  exile  in  a  foreign  land 
Yahweh  has  imposed  on  His  people  no  burden  of  sacrificial 
homage.  On  the  contrary,  the  burden  (as  though  of  bondage) 
and  trouble  have  been  imposed  on  Yahweh  by  the  sins  of  His 
faithless  and  erring  children, 

25.  The  personal  pronoun  is  by  a  characteristic  trait  of  the 
Deutero-Isaiah  twice  repeated,  and  thus  rendered  specially  em- 
phatic.    Despite  Israel's  sins,  it  is  I,  Yahweh,  against  whom  he 

^  See  Zimmern  in  KAT?,  p.  600. 

^  See  A.  Jeremias,  Das  Alte  Testament  im  Lichte  des  alter 
Orients  (2nd  ed.),  p.  531 ;  Schrader,  COT.  ii,  p.  68  foil. 


102  ISAIAH  43.  26,  27 

out  thy  transgressions  for  mine  own  sake ;  and  I  will  not 

26  remember  thy  sins.     Put  me  in  remembrance ;   let  us 
plead  together  :  set  thou  forth  thy  cause,  that  thou  mayest 

27  be  justified.     Thy  first  father  sinned,  and  thine  interpre- 

has  transgressed,  who,  unsolicited,  spontaneously  forgive.  In 
this  expression  of  God's  free  forgiveness  the  Deutero-Isaiah,  as 
Duhm  points  out,  goes  beyond  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  and  even  the 
tender-hearted  Hosea.  With  reference  to  Isaiah,  chap.  i.  18 
should  probably  be  construed  as  indicated  in  the  note  on  that 
passage  and  in  accordance  with  the  verses  that  follow  as  well  as 
the  general  drift  of  the  chapter.  In  Jeremiah  forgiveness  is  con- 
ditioned by  the  renewal  and  quickening  of  the  soul  which  is  the 
subject  of  it,  though  even  this  is  the  gift  of  Divine  grace,  Jer. 
xxxi.  32-34  (esp.  verse  34)  ;  xxxii.  39-41.  In  xxxi.  17-20 
Yahweh  relents  when  He  hears  Ephraim  'bemo^ining  himself,' 
and  with  this  we  may  compare  Hos.  xi.  7-1 1  and  xiv,  where  God's 
compassions  are  kindled  at  the  spectacle  of  Ephraim's  backsliding 
and  impending  doom,  and  a  final  earnest  appeal  is  made  to  Israel 
to  return  to  Yahweh  (xiv.  i ;  Heb.  verse  2).  But  here  in  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  the  subjective  ground  of  repentance  in  the  individual  or  in 
the  nation  is  passed  over.  God's  ground  of  forgiveness  lies  in 
Himself  ('for  my  own  sake').  But  on  this  expression  'for  my 
own  sake '  too  much  stress  should  not  be  laid,  as  the  original 
Hebrew  word  seems  to  overload  the  metre,  and  Duhm  therefore 
rejects  it  \  holding  that  it  has  been  introduced  here  through  the 
influence  of  xlviii.  9,  11.  It  must  be  acknowledged,  however, 
that  it  harmonizes  with  verse  26  foil. 

26  enforces  the  conception  that  God's  forgiveness  is  based  on 
his  own  initiative  and  on  no  claim  of  merit  that  Israel  can  bring 
forward.  A  challenge  is  addressed  to  Israel  in  terms  resembling 
i.  18  :  '  Call  to  my  remembrance,  let  us  urge  together  our  pleas 
against  one  another ;  reckon  up  (your  pleas)  to  show  that  you  are 
in  the  right.' 

2*7.  'My  first  ancestor'  {lit.  'father')  does  not  mean  Adam; 
xli.  8  might  lead  us  to  identify  him  with  Abraham,  the  '  friend '  of 
God,  and  this  seems  to  be  confirmed  by  li.  2.  This  view  is 
supported  by  the  Jewish  commentator  Rashi  as  well  as  by 
Delitzsch,  Nagelsbach,  and  Diestel.  But  throughout  these  oracles 
it  is  predominantly  Jacob  or  Israel  who  is  regarded  as  the  national 
ancestor ;   see  xlviii.    1-4  and  cf.  Hos.  xii.  4.     It  is  Jacob  who 

^  LXX  (N  A  Q  r)  omit  the  word,  B  (Vatican)  retains  it.  There  are 
therefore  adequate  grounds,  critical  as  well  as  metric,  for  dropping 
the  word  from  our  text. 


ISAIAH  43.  28  103 

ters   have   transgressed   against   me.     Therefore   I    will  28 
profane  the  princes  of  the  sanctuary,  and  I  will  make 

appears  in  patriarchal  story  as  the  crafty  supplanter.  The  LXX, 
influenced  probably  by  the  plural  form  in  the  parallel  clause 
'thine  interpreters,'  render  here  'your  first  fathers,'  and  are 
followed  by  Gesenius  and  Hengstenberg.  But  this  plural  meaning 
is  never  expressed  by  a  singular  noun  in  this  case  of  the  Hebrew 
word  for  'father.'  The  plural  form  would  certainly  have  been 
employed  (as  so  frequently  in  Deuteronomy). 

The  interpreters  or  'intermediaries'  are  here  the  prophets, 
who  are  the  interpreters  of  God's  will  to  men.  The  reference  is 
to  the  false  prophets  such  as  Isaiah  denounced  (xxix.  9,  10) 
and  whom  Micaiah  confronted  (i  Kings  xxii.  11  foil.,  22  foil.)  in 
the  ninth  century  (853  b.  c),  and  in  more  recent  times  Jeremiah 
(xxiii.  11-18,  xxvi.  8-15,  xxvii.  9-18,  xxviii.  10-17,  &c.).  No 
doubt  priests  are  also  included. 

28.  We  might  with  good  reason  follow  Oort  and  other  critics, 
and,  by  changing  the  punctuation  of  the  Hebrew  copula  with 
both  verbs*,  translate  them  as  past  tenses  (so  R.V.  marg.).  We 
should  then  render  :  '  So  I  desecrated  the  holy  princes  and  gave 
up  Jacob  to  a  curse  (or  ban)  and  Israel  to  scorning.'  Here  the 
first  clause  might  be  explained  by  reference  to  the  closing  tragic 
scenes  of  the  Hebrew  monarchy  in  587-6  b.  c,  when  the  priests 
and  other  officials  were  carried  off  into  captivity  to  Babylon  by 
Nebuzaradan  and  doubtless  subjected  to  terrible  humiliations  and 
killed  (2  Kings  xxv.  18-22).  This  may  perhaps  be  the  true  text 
and  explanation,  but  two  considerations  make  us  suspicious. 
Duhm  is  undoubtedly  right  in  regarding  the  first  distich  as 
mutilated.  We  miss  the  parallel  clause.  Moreover,  when  we 
turn  to  the  LXX  we  can  clearly  see  that  they  had  a  somewhat 
diflferent  text.  This  Houbigant,  Klostermann,  and  Cheyne  would 
reconstruct  mainly  in  accordance  with  the  Greek  rendering.  We 
should  then  read  (with  a  gap  for  the  lost  parallel  clause)  : 

'And  thy  princes  desecrated  my  sanctuary  ... 
So  I  delivered  Jacob  to  the  ban — and  Israel  to  scorning.' 

The  first  line,  which  is  imperfect  through  the  loss  of  the  parallel 
clause,  continues  the  recital  of  Israel's  sins  against  Yahweh  (begun 
in  the  preceding  verse)  which  have  brought  about  Divine  chastise- 
ment. The  desecration  of  the  sanctuary  by  the  princes  will  refer 
to  the  idolatrous  practices  described  in  2  Kings  xxi.  3-5,  7  ; 
Ezek.  viii.  3-17.  When  summoned  to  the  bar  of  Divine  judg- 
ment God's  people  have  no  merits  to  plead  in  their  justification. 

^  i.  e.  so  as  to  make  them  both  *  Waw  consecutive.' 


I04  ISAIAH  44.  1-3 

44  Jacob  a  curse,  and  Israel  a  reviling.     Yet  now  hear,  O 
Jacob  my  servant ;   and  Israel,  whom   I  have  chosen  : 

2  thus  saith  the  Lord  that  made  thee,  and  formed  thee 
from  the  womb,  who  will  help  thee :  Fear  not,  O  Jacob 
my  servant;  and  thou,  Jeshurun,  whom  I  have  chosen. 

3  For  I  will  pour  water  upon  him  that  is  thirsty,  and 
streams  upon  the  dry  ground  :  I  will  pour  my  spirit  upon 

God's   forgiveness  and  mercy  are  based  on   His  own  gracious 
initiative. 

Chapter  XLIV. 
Verses  1-5.  After  the  recital  of  Israel's  sins  and  the  Divine 
chastisement  that  followed  comes  the  gracious  Divine  promise  of 
revival.  We  hardly  see  Yahweh  any  longer  in  the  forbidding 
role  of  legal  adversary  urging  his  pleas  (cf.  xliii.  26).  In  place  of 
the  dark  past  there  unfolds  the  bright  future  in  which  God's  spirit 
descends  in  showers  upon  the  parched  tendrils  in  the  thirsty  soil. 
The  contrast  reminds  us  of  the  transition  between  the  close  of 
chap,  xlii  and  the  opening  of  chap.  xUii.  Hebrew  prophecy  is  full 
of  these  striking  contrasts. 

1.  Yet  now.  The  Hebrew  word  rendered  'now  '  possesses 
in  combination  with  the  imperative  a  hortatory  force.  Cf.  Gen. 
xxxi,  13  ;  Isa.  xxx,  8  ;  Mic.  v.  i  [iv.  14  Heb.].  The  opening  of 
this  chapter  (verses  i,  2)  is  very  analogous  to  that  of  xliii. 

2.  The  name  Jeshurun  for  Israel  is  apparently  borrowed  from 
here  in  Deut.  xxxii.  15,  xxxiii.  26,  parallel  in  formation  to  the 
tribal  word  Zebulun.  It  is  not  found  in  any  other  passage.  It  is 
evidently  based  in  its  form  upon  the  Hebrew  adjective  jdshdr 
(pronounced  jva5/zar),  meaning  'brave,'  'upright.'  In  all  pro- 
bability we  must  combine  this  designation  of  Israel  with  the 
immediately  preceding  depreciatory  reference  to  this  patriarch  as 
the  crafty  supplanter  (Jacob)  in  xliii.  27  (cf.  Hos.  xii.  4).  See 
Bacher  in  ZATW.,  1885,  p.  161,  whose  view  is  supported  by 
Duhm.  Formerly  the  *  supplanter,'  he  is  now  the  noble  and 
upright  (Jeshurun). 

3.  The  parallelism  indicates  that  we  should  render  with  R.  V. 
(marg.),  *  I  will  pour  water  on  the  thirsty  land.''  Here  again 
we  note  contrast.  In  xliii.  28  we  read  that  Yahweh  had  delivered 
Jacob  up  to  a  curse  (ban).  Now  a  land  that  is  cursed  is  devoid  of 
rain  (2  Sam.  i.  21).  The  rivulets  of  water,  that  God's  forgiving 
mercy  pours  forth,  betokens  here  the  removal  of  the  ban. 

The  word  which  is  here  rendered  oflfspring",  like  the  word 
*seed'  in  the  preceding  parallel  clause,  is  primarily  applied  to 
vegetation.     Thus  in  Isa.  xxxiv.  i,  xlii.  5  ;  Job  xxxi.  8  it  is  used 


ISAIAH  44.  4,  5  105 

thy  seed,  and  my  blessing  upon  thine  offspring  :  and  they  4 
shall  spring  up  among  the  grass,  as  willows  by  the  water- 
courses. One  shall  say,  I  am  the  Lord's;  and  another  shall  5 
call  himself  hy  the  name  of  Jacob ;  and  another  shall  sub- 
generally  of  the  products  of  the  earth.  It  is  doubtful  whether  the 
word  belongs  to  pre-exilian  literature  (Isa.  xxii.  24  is  the  only 
possible  exception). 

4.  The  watercourses  are  the  artificially  constructed  canals  for 
irrigation  {rivi  aquarum)  characteristic  of  Babylonia.  The  willow 
is  the  species  known  as  Popuhis  Euphratica.  Translate  :  '  They 
shall  sprout  (R.V.  spring  up)  as  between  waters  grass  ^ ' ;  a  vivid 
picture  of  the  grass  meads  intersected  by  watercourses  (so  Lowth, 
Ewald,  Cheyne,  Houbigant,  Duhm,  and  Marti). 

5.  Here  comes  the  full  fruition  of  the  Divine  blessing.  Israel 
is  to  realize  his  Divine  vocation  as  '  Yahweh's  servant,'  the 
'  Covenant  race '  (xlii.  6).  He  is  to  be  a  light  to  the  Gentiles 
(^cf,  xhx.  6).  We  are  to  understand  by  one  and  another  {lit.  '■  this  ' 
in  Hebrew  ^)  foreigners  who  are  attracted  by  the  revived  and 
quickened  Israel  and  become  proselytes  to  Israel's  faith.  A  slight 
change  in  the  punctuation  of  the  Hebrew  text  is  necessary, 
whereby  two  of  the  verbs  are  pronounced  as  reflexive  and  passive 
rather  than  active.  Accordingly  render  :  '  One  says  I  am 
Yahweh's— and  another  names  himself  with  the  name  of  Jacob  and 
another  inscribes  his  hand  (with)  "  Yahweh's  own'' — and  is 
honoured  by  the  title  ''  Israel."  '  Marti  sees  here  an  allusion  to 
the  custom  whereby  the  slave  inscribed  his  skin  with  the  name  of 
his  master.  More  probably  we  have  here  an  old  rite  of  self- dedi- 
cation. See  W.  R.  Smith,  Kinship  and  Marriage,  p.  213  foil.  In 
Lev.  xix.  28  such  ^cuttings  in  the  flesh'  are  forbidden,  which 
shows  how  widely  the  custom  prevailed.  This,  moreover,  indicates 
that  in  the  post-exilian  period  of  legislative  reconstruction  this 
custom  was  regarded  with  disfavour,  but  during  the  exile  period 
the  Deutero- Isaiah  had  no  such  feeling. 

The  Hebrew  verb,  which  we  have  rendered  above  in  its  passive 
form  'is  honoured  by  the  title,'  means  '  to  bestow  an  honourable 
surname   or   title'    upon   a   person ^      The    Arabic    substantive 

^  LXX  wcct  x6p70%  ova.  ixeffov  vdaros  points  the  way  to  the  right 
text.  Evidently  the  word  for  '  water '  has  dropped  out  of  the  Hebrew 
and  should  be  restored.     For    pa  read  p3. 

^  A  similar  idiomatic  use  of  '  this '  is  found  in  chap.  vi.  3  (where 
'  this'  .  .  .  'this'  stands  in  the  original  for  'one*.  .  .  'another'}. 

^  i.  e.  the  Piel,  kinnah  (the  active  form). 


io6  ISAIAH  44.  6,  7 

scribe  with  his  hand  unto  the  Lord,  and  surname 
himself  by  the  name  of  Israel. 

6  Thus  saith  the  Lord,   the  King  of  Israel,  and  his 
redeemer  the  Lord  of  hosts :   I  am  the  first,  and  I  am 

7  the  last ;  and  beside  me  there  is  no  God.     And  who,  as 
I,  shall  call,  and  shall  declare  it,  and  set  it  in  order  for 

derived  from  the  same  Semitic  root  is  kunya  ^,  which  usually 
signifies  the  honourable  surname  which  a  man  assumes  when  he 
calls  himself  father  of  some  specially  named  son,  e.  g.  Abu  Omar. 
Here  the  verb  is  used  of  honouring  by  surname  of  any  kind. 

Verses  6-23.  The  greatness  of  Yahweh,  Israel's  Redeemer,  is 
beyond  challenge  or  comparison.  Future  events  are  known  to 
Him  alone.  So  Israel  may  rest  secure.  In  connexion  with  this 
assertion  of  God's  supremacy  beside  whom  no  gods  exist,  there 
follows  in  an  entirely  different  measure  a  satire  on  idols  and  idol- 
makers  (verses  9-20).  It  is  not  necessary,  however,  to  assume 
that  this  is  a  later  insertion  with  Duhm  and  Marti.  The  former 
compares  the  attack  on  image-worship  in  the  Book  of  Daniel 
(e.  g.  iv.  34  LXX)  and  Baruch  vi.  (Ep.  of  Jeremy)  3-73,  and 
similar  productions  of  a  later  time,  cold  and  laboured.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  mode  in  which  this  digression  is  introduced 
presents  a  certain  analogy  to  the  similar  passage  on  the  manu- 
facture of  idols,  xl.  18,  19,  xli.  6,  7,  xl.  20,  which  is  introduced  in 
like  manner  after  a  sublime  ascription  of  praise  to  Yahweh  and 
the  assertion  of  His  incomparable  greatness.  But  in  that  case  the 
metrical  form  remains  the  same  ',  in  the  passage  before  us  there  is 
clearly  marked  difference.  Certainly  its  style  is  more  prosaic  and 
laboured  than  that  of  the  genuine  writings  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  2. 

6.  Some  of  the  epithets  that  describe  the  supreme  exaltation  of 
Yahweh  in  chap,  xli  recur  here.  He  is  king  of  Israel  as  in 
xli.  21,  as  well  as  Israel's  Redeemer  (xli.  14).  The  old  epithet 
'  Yahweh  (God)  of  Hosts,'  applied  to  Him  in  pre-exilian  prophecy, 
(i.  9)  recurs  here.  Above  all  He  stands  alone  in  His  cosmic 
pre-eminence.  In  fact  His  pre-eminence  in  time  is  even  more 
impressive,  as  Duhm  remarks,  than  His  pre-eminence  in  space. 
The  significant  expression  '  the  first  and  the  last '  passed  into 
apocalyptic,  and,  in  the  final  utterance  of  the  Book  of  Revelation, 
is  assumed  by  Jesus  as  one  of  His  own  Divine  titles  (Rev.  xxii.  13). 

*J.    The  traditional  Hebrew  text  has  evidently  fallen  into  con- 

^  On  this  see  also  Skinner's  useful  note,  who  cites  from  Seetzen, 
Reisen,  ii.  p.  327. 

*  See  the  further  discussion  of  this  critical  problem  in  the  notes  on 
xlvi.  3  and  6  below. 


ISAIAH  44.  8,  9  107 

me,  since  I  appointed  the  ancient  people  ?  and  the  things 
that  are  coming,  and  that  shall  come  to  pass,  let  them 
declare.  Fear  ye  not,  neither  be  afraid:  have  I  not  8 
declared  unto  thee  of  old,  and  shewed  it?  and  ye  are 
my  witnesses.  Is  there  a  God  beside  me  ?  yea,  there  is 
no  Rock ;  I  know  not  any.     They  that  fashion  a  graven  9 

fusion,  and  reconstruction  is  necessar}'.  The  LXX  again  point 
us  to  the  right  patli.  Oort,  Duhm,  Cheyne,  Kittel,  and  Marti 
conduct  us  to  the  following  restoration  of  the  original :  '  And  who 
is  like  me  ?  Let  him  take  his  stand  so  as  to  cry  aloud,  proclaim  it 
and  set  it  in  order  for  me.  Who  hath  made  known  from  old  time 
future  things  ?  And  those  things  that  shall  come  to  pass  let  them 
announce  to  us\' 

8.  In  the  Hebrew  word  of  our  text  rendered  toe  afraid  it  is 
best  to  desert  the  strange  and  doubtful  form  presented  to  us  in 
our  copies  of  the  original  (whatever  justification  the  Arabic  may 
seem  to  afford  us),  and  to  read  the  normal  Hebrew  form  suggested 
by  Ewald  {tirt7  instead  of  tirhu).  For  unto  thee  read  '  unto  you  ' 
(plural)  with  LXX.  Probably  the  interrogative  clause  '  Is  there 
a  God  beside  me?'  ought  to  be  linked  to  the  preceding  sentence. 
It  would  be  better  therefore  to  translate  :  '  Ye  are  my  witnesses 
whether  there  is  a  God  beside  me.'  The  poet  anticipates  the 
answer  b}'  saying,  '  Yea,  there  is  no  rock,  I  know  of  none.'  On 
the  word  '■  rock '  as  epithet  of  Yahweh  see  xvii.  10  and  note. 

Verses  9-20.  The  last  clause  of  the  preceding  verse  suggests  a 
comparison  with  heathen  deities,  for  it  is  probably  more  than  a  mere 
coincidence  that  the  Assyrians  and  Babylonians  called  their 
deities  by  the  epithet  '  mountain '  (iaciii),  as  proper  names  testify, 
e.g.  Bel-Sadua,  Marduk-Sadua  (  =  'Bel  is  my  mountain,'  'Merodach 
is  my  mountain '),  analogous  to  the  Hebrew  proper  names  Suriel, 

^  The  LXX  only  help  us  at  the  beginning  of  the  verse :  t/s  ucnrep 
(jdij;  aTTjTQ}  KaXfffaTQj  KOI  eroifiaoaTOJ  fxoi'  After  this  their  Hebrew 
copy  is  evidently  based  upon  a  partially  similar  textual  tradition 
to  our  own,  dcp  ov  e'jroirjaa  dvBpwirov  cis  rov  aluva  Kat  to.  (-nfpxofifva 
irpo  Tov  kXdeiv  dvayydXaTaxrav  vpuv.     Apparently  they  read   in  their 

Heb.  text :  UD^  'n>r  n;«bn  g-v^}  nvn'^i  nbij^  nyi  d-i«  'pvro— 'since  I 
made  man  even  for  evermore,  and  future  things,  before  they  come  to 
pass,  let  them  proclaim  to  you.'  For  the  benefit  of  the  Hebrew 
student,  we  subjoin  the  reconstructed  Hebrew  text  corresponding 
to  the  translation  given  above  :    'p  >>  l^^^^:")  nTr"!  N-ji^'i  Tlb»'_*2iQ5  'T2^ 

i:*?  ^n^3>  n2«hn  I'aJwT  nvni<  obi^^o  r'DttJn. 

T  •-  T  T  v-,-  .  T  ••      -      •      1     • 


io8  ISAIAH  44.  lo,  ii 

image  are  all  of  them  vanity ;  and  their  delectable  things 
shall  not  profit :   and  their  own  witnesses  see  not,  nor 

10  know;  that  they  may  be  ashamed.    Who  hath  fashioned 
a  god,  or  molten  a  graven  image  that  is  profitable  for 

1 1  nothing  ?  Behold,  all  his  fellows  shall  be  ashamed ;  and 

Suri  Shaddai  (=  '  God  is  my  rock').  The  presence  of  these  satires 
against  idolatry  in  chaps,  xl,  xH,  as  well  as  in  the  present  chapter 
(cf.  xlvi.  i),  points  to  the  conclusion  that  to  the  exiled  Jews,  amid 
the  destruction  of  their  national  kingdom  and  prestige  and  the 
adverse  conditions  of  foreign  life,  the  august  worship  of  the 
Babylonian  deities,  Marduk  (Merodach)  or  Bel,  god  of  light,  and 
Nebo,  god  of  prophecy,  was  dangerously  seductive.  To  many 
among  them  the  prestige  of  Yahweh  seemed  to  have  sunk  beyond 
recovery  after  the  destruction  of  His  temple  and  the  deportation 
of  His  people,  and  they  would  be  only  too  prone  to  worship  the 
victorious  gods  of  their  conquerors.  After  the  significant  and 
necessary  reminder  to  his  exiled  countrymen  that  Yahweh  was 
the  only  '  rock  ' — not  Nebo  nor  Merodach — the  prophet  lashes 
idolatry  with  satire  in  which  there  is  a  subtle  mixture  of  ridicule 
and  argument.  Probably  this  was  the  psychological  moment 
when  such  satire  would  be  most  effective,  for  the  ascendant  star 
of  Cyrus,  '  Yahweh's  anointed,'  was  at  that  time  a  definite  prognos- 
tic that  Babylonia's  day  was  soon  to  set  and  that  the  prestige 
and  power  of  her  gods  would  vanish  (xlvi.  i  foil,). 

9.  For  their  delectable  thing's  read  '  their  favourites,'  viz.  the 
gods  whom  the  idol-makers  love  to  fashion.  These  shall  '  avail 
not,'  i.  e.  have  no  power.  The  following  sentence,  '  Their 
witnesses  see  not  nor  perceive  so  that  they  come  to  shame,'  is 
very  obscure.  The  witnesses  might  be  understood  to  mean  the 
worshippers  of  the  gods,  but  a  comparison  with  the  shorter 
version  in  the  LXX  strongly  suggests  a  corrupted  text  and  its 
extension  by  dittography.  We  suspect  that  the  Hebrew  word  for 
'worshippers'  (^dbhdim)  stood  in  place  of  the  word  for  'witnesses' 

10.  R.V.  in  the  translation  given  above  regards  this  question 
as  a  rhetorical  expression  of  surprise  that  any  one  should  be  so 
senseless  as  to  fashion  a  useless  and  impotent  image.  But  the 
Hebrew  interrogative  mi,  ^who,'  means  also  'whoever.'  We 
might  therefore  render  (with  Duhm  and  Marti) :  '  Whoever 
fashions  a  god,  hath  cast  a  profitless  image.'  (Gesenius-Kautzsch, 
Heb.  Gram.  2^,  §  143  d).  The  LXX  apparently  support  this 
interpretation. 

11.  The  fellows  or  companions  of  which  this  verse  speaks  are 
understood  by  Kittel  to  mean   the  adherents  of  the  deity,  and 


ISAIAH  44.  12  109 

the  workmen,  they  are  of  men :  let  them  all  be  gathered  to- 
gether, let  them  stand  up ;  they  shall  fear,  they  shall  be 
ashamed  together.  The  smith  maketh  an  axe,  and  12 
worketh  in  the  coals,  and  fashioneth  it  with  hammers, 
and  worketh  it  with  his  strong  arm  :  yea,  he  is  hungry, 
and  his  strength  faileth;   he  drinketh  no  water,  and  is 

Hos.  iv.  17  is  cited  in  support  of  this  conception.  But  this 
reference  hardly  amounts  to  a  real  parallel.  Lowth  and  Gesenius 
followed  the  Jewish  commentator  Rashi  in  assuming  that  the 
comrades  of  the  idol-maker  are  meant  to  whom  the  previous  verse 
directly  refers.  This  conception  harmonizes  with  the  earlier 
reference  to  idol-makers  in  xli.  6,  7,  where  the  'companion'^ 
means  the  fellow  in  the  craft.  In  the  following  clause  we  learn 
that  these  workmen  are  mere  men. 

Duhm  most  ingeniously  extracts  quite  another  and  plausible 
interpretation  by  altering  the  vowel-points  of  two  substantives. 
Accordingly  he  renders,  '  see  all  his  spells  turn  to  shame  and  the 
enchantments  are  of  man.'  This  refers  to  the  all-prevalent  magic 
practices  for  which  Babylonia  was  famous  and  to  which  we  have 
a  graphic  reference  in  xlvii.  9,  12,  13  as  well  as  in  Ezek.  xiii. 
18,  19  (in  reference  to  sorceresses).  Cheyne  somewhat  modifies 
Duhm's  interpretation  by  making  a  slight  change  in  the  punctua- 
tion, and  renders  in  SBOT.  'all  his  charmers  will  be  put  to  shame 
and  his  enchanters  will  be  confounded' — the  last  three  words 
being  based  on  an  alteration  of  the  text  which  restores  the 
parallelism.  The  LXX,  however,  at  this  point  support  the  tradi- 
tional Hebrew  text. 

It  is  hardly  safe  to  accept  Duhm's  reading  or  that  of  Cheyne, 
since  this  allusion  to  sorcery  interrupts  the  course  of  the  denuncia- 
tion which  is  throughout  verses  9,  10,  12-17  directed  against  the 
idol-manufacturer  and  idol-worship,  not  against  the  practice  of 
magic.  It  is  intrinsically  far  more  probable  that  verse  11  maintains 
this  sequence  of  thought. 

12.  The  earlier  portion  of  this  verse  is  in  textual  confusion,  and 
the  LXX  rendering  clearly  shows  this,  which  runs  thus  :  '  For 
the  smith  has  sharpened  the  iron,  with  an  axe  hath  wrought  it  and 
with  a  boring  instrument  bored  it.'  It  is  evident  that  this  translation 
arises  from  a  duplication  of  the  last  word  (rendered  _' together') 
of  the  previous  verse  of  the  original  Hebrew,  which  is  rendered 
in  this  verse  by  the  LXX  '  has  sharpened.'  Two  courses  are 
open  to  us  :    either  to  follow  the  clue  afforded  to  us  by  the  LXX 


In  R.  V.  (and  A.V.),  'neighbour'  .  .  .  '  broth( 


no  ISAIAH  44.  13 

13  faint.  The  carpenter  stretcheth  out  a  line;  he  marketh 
it  out  with  a  pencil ;  he  shapeth  it  with  planes,  and  he 
marketh  it  out  with  the  compasses,  and  shapeth  it  after 

and  remove  the  word  rendered  '  together '  in  the  previous  verse 
1 1  and  punctuate  it  as  an  imperfect  form  and  translate  as  a  present 
('sharpens').  The  verse  will  then  run  as  follows:  'The  iron- 
worker ["smith"]  sharpens  a  cutting-tooP  and  works  in  the 
(glowing)  coals  and  with  hammers  fashions  it.'  Or,  we  might 
with  Duhm  omit  the  word  for  'cutting-tool'  ['axe,'  R.  V.]  as  a 
gloss  to  the  word  '  iron,'  and,  by  a  slight  change  in  the  following 
word,  rendered  in  R.  V.  by  '  and  worketh '  (so  as  to  make  it  a 
Hebrew  imperfect),  translate  the  opening  part  of  the  verse  thus  : 
'  The  smith  worketh  in  the  (glowing)  coals.'  On  the  whole  the 
former  interpretation,  based  on  the  LXX,  is  to  be  preferred.  The 
pers.  pron.  'it'  refers  to  the  graven  image  {pesel)  of  verse  9. 

13.  The  idol-image  consists  of  two  portions  :  metal  and  wood. 
In  the  previous  verse  (cf.  xl.  19,  xli.  6,  7)  we  have  read  how  the 
metal  part  was  forged  in  the  furnace  and  cut  by  the  sharpened 
cutting-tool  and  beaten  with  hammers.  The  present  verse  describes 
the  preparation  of  the  wooden  portion  of  the  idol.  It  was  this 
woodwork,  fashioned,  as  xl,  20  informs  us,  of  undecaying  timber, 
that  formed  the  inner  portion  or  core  of  the  idol-image.  See 
G.  F.  Moore,  art.  'Idol'  in  Enc.  Bibl,,  vol.  ii,  col.  2151  foil.,  who 
infers  from  Exod.  xxxii.  20  (which  describes  the  procedure  of 
Moses  in  the  destruction  of  the  golden  calf)  that  the  bull-images 
of  the  Northern  Kingdom  had  a  wooden  core.  Plates  of  gold 
were  then  hammered  and  soldered  on  it  by  the  goldsmith  (xli.  7). 
That  the  Ep/iod  was  a  plated  image  of  analogous  nature  (though 
much  rougher,  probably,  in  workmanship)  is  fairly  clear  from 
Judges  viii.  24-27.  That  its  core  was  of  wood,  and  therefore  the 
weight  of  the  Ephod-image  was  not  excessive,  may  be  readily 
inferred  from  the  fact  that  it  was  constantly  carried  about  by  the 
priest-soothsayer  who  accompanied  the  king  or  his  general  to  the 
field  of  battle  (i  and  2  Sam.  passim). 

The  'worker  in  wood'  (R.V.  'carpenter')  here  stands  con- 
trasted with  the  'worker  in  iron'  (R.V.  '  smith')  in  the  preceding 
verse.  The  successive  steps  in  his  work  are  precisely  set  forth  : 
he  first  'stretches  the  line'  (or  cord),  then  he  'marks  its  outline 
with  red  ochre '  (R.  V.  marg.).  Here,  again,  the  person,  pron. 
'it'  refers  of  course  to  the  'graven  image.'  Its  final  destination 
is  a  '  house,'  but  whether  this  means  a  spacious  temple,  a  private 

'  The  Hebrew  fna'sdd  here  means  a  cutting-tool  for  metals,  but 
in  Jer.  x.  3  it  is  a  cutting-tool  for  wood,  and  hence  rendered  'axe.' 


ISAIAH   44.  i4-r6  III 

the  figure  of  a  man,  according  to  the  beauty  of  a  man,  to 
dwell  in  the  house.  He  heweth  him  down  cedars,  and  14 
taketh  the  holm  tree  and  the  oak,  and  strengtheneth  for 
himself  one  among  the  trees  of  the  forest :  he  planteth  a 
fir  tree,  and  the  rain  doth  nourish  it.  Then  shall  it  be  15 
for  a  man  to  burn ;  and  he  taketh  thereof,  and  warmeth 
himself ;  yea,  he  kindleth  it,  and  baketh  bread :  yea,  he 
maketh  a  god,  and  worshippeth  it;  he  maketh  it  a  graven 
image,  and  falleth  down  thereto.    He  burneth  part  thereof  16 

dwelling,  or  a  chapel  sanctuary,  we  do  not  know.  Duhm  suggests 
that  the  writer  may  have  been  thinking  of  one  of  the  small  tent- 
sanctuaries  woven  by  the  women  (2  Kings  xxiii.  7). 

14.  We  suddenly  pass  from  the  work  of  the  idol-maker  to  the 
very  beginning  of  things — the  tree  growing  in  the  forest  which 
supplies  the  wood  for  the  image.  The  curious  and  abrupt 
commencement  of  this  verse  in  the  Hebrew  text  suggests  that 
several  words,  or  perhaps  even  whole  lines,  have  dropped  out. 
The  sentence  may  have  actually  begun :  '  [The  woodman  has  gone 
forth]  to  cut  down  for  himself  cedars.'  The  Hebrew  text  actually 
begins  with  a  preposition  prefixed  to  an  infinitive,  and  critics  are 
usually  content  with  changing  this  into  a  3rd  sing.,  masc.  form. 
Hence  the  R.  V.  '  He  heweth  him  down  cedars.' 

For  and  strengtiieneth  for  himself .  .  .  substitute  the  render- 
ing 'and  caused  it  to  grow  strong  for  himself  among  the  forest 
trees.'  The  verse  describes  the  particular  care  that  is  bestowed 
on  the  culture  of  the  tree,  whether  cedar  or  pine,  from  the  wood  of 
which  the  image  is  to  be  made. 

We  have  here  a  genuine  Babylonian  trait.  Both  the  Assyrian 
and  Babylonian  monarchs  were  lovers  of  tree-cultivation,  and 
stocked  their  parks  with  the  finest  trees,  which  they  did  not 
scruple  to  bring  from  the  lands  which  they  had  conquered.  See 
art.  '  Garden '  in  Enc.  Bibl.  The  word  oren  of  the  Massoretic 
text,  rendered  'fir,'  is  the  Assyrian  erinuj  meaning  'pine'  or 
'  larch-fir.'     The  LXX  here  have  a  much  shorter  text. 

Verses  15  foil.  The  writer  with  remorseless  satire  unveils  the 
absurdity.  Part  of  the  tree  becomes  domestic  fuel  and  another 
part  becomes  the  material  of  the  image. 

15.  In  the  words  for  '  kindle '  and  '  fall  down  '  we  have  in  the 
original  forms  that  are  Aramaic  rather  than  Hebrew. 

16.  The  LXX  are  once  more  a  warning  to  us  that  the  tra- 
ditional Massoretic  text  before  us  is  not  the  original  one.     Their 


112  ISAIAH  44.  17,18 

in  the  fire  ;  with  part  thereof  he  eateth  flesh  ;  he  roasteth 
roast,  and  is  satisfied  :  yea,  he  warmeth  himself,  and  saith, 

1 7  Aha,  I  am  warm,  I  have  seen  the  fire  :  and  the  residue 
thereof  he  maketh  a  god,  even  his  graven  image:  he  falleth 
down  unto  it  and  worshippeth,  and  prayeth  unto  it,  and 

iS  saith,  DeHver  me ;  for  thou  art  my  god.  They  know  not, 
neither  do  they  consider  :  for  he  hath  shut  their  eyes,  that 
they  cannot  see ;  and  their  hearts,  that  they  cannot  under- 

version  runs  :  '  The  half  of  it  he  has  consumed  in  fire,  and,  having 
consumed  it,  they  have  baked  loaves  on  them,  and,  having  roasted 
flesh  upon  it,  one  has  eaten  and  been  filled.'  There  are  two 
features  in  our  traditional  Hebrew  text  which  are  evidently 
suspicious,  (i)  After  reading  of  the  two  halves  of  the  wood  in 
this  verse  we  read  of  a  still  remaining  portion  in  the  following 
verse  !  (2)  The  order  of  roasting  flesh,  and  eating  it,  which  is 
correctly  preserved  in  the  LXX,  is  strangely  inverted  in  the 
Hebrew  text  before  us.  Duhm's  attempted  restoration  (similarly 
Oort,  Klostermann,  Kittel),  based  on  verse  19,  is  only  partial  and 
speculative,  and  all  that  one  can  plead  in  its  justification  is  that 
it  removes  these  difficulties  with  which  our  Hebrew  text  is 
encumbered,  and  is  somewhat  nearer  to  the  original.  This  is 
his  rendering : 

'The  half  of  it  he  has  burnt  in  fire. 
Over  its  coals  he  roasts  flesh,  eats  roast,  and  is  satiated.' 

17.  The  remaining  half  is  here  called  the  residue  (as  the 
original  text  evidently  intended).  The  Hebrew  tenses  should  be 
strictly  followed.  Accordingly  for  maketh  substitute  '  hath 
made.'  The  following  present  tenses  are  correct,  as  they  corre- 
spond to  the  Hebrew  imperfects  of  the  original.  It  would,  however, 
be  more  idiomatic  to  continue  the  rendering  :  [He  falleth  down 
unto  it]  '  to  worship  and  pray  unto  it  and  say  .  .  .'  ^ 

18.  Instead  of  shut  R,  V.  marg.  correctly  renders  *  daubed '  ; 
for  '  smear '  '  daub  '  is  the  actual  meaning  of  the  original.  There 
may  be  a  reminiscence  here  of  the  words  of  Isaiah  two  centuries 
before,  contained  in  his  consecration  vision  (vi.  10).  There,  however, 
a  different  word  is  used  for  smearing  the  eyes  (see  note  ad  loc. 
in  vol.  i). 

^  The  act  of  prostration  involves  a  mental  state  of  desire,  or 
expectancy,  and  so  this  example  comes  under  Davidson,  Heb.  Sytitax, 
§  65  (b).     Note  his  example  Job  xvi.  20,  21. 


ISAIAH  44.  19,  20  113 

stand.  And  none  calleth  to  mind,  neither  is  there 
knowledge  nor  understanding  to  say,  I  have  burned  part 
of  it  in  the  fire ;  yea,  also  I  have  baked  bread  upon  the 
coals  thereof ;  I  have  roasted  flesh  and  eaten  it :  and 
shall  I  make  the  residue  thereof  an  abomination  ?  shall 
I  fall  down  to  the  stock  of  a  tree  ?  He  feedeth  on  ashes  : 
a  deceived  heart  hath  turned  him  aside,  that  he  cannot 
deliver  his  soul,  nor  say.  Is  there  not  a  lie  in  my  right 
hand  ? 


ia.  calietli  to  sniud :  more  literally,  *  r^calleth.'  The  same 
expression  in  the  original  Hebrew  occurs  in  i  Kings  viii.  47  ; 
Deut.  iv.  39,  and  also  in  Isa.  xlvi.  8.  It  is  probably  more  em- 
phatic and  purposive  than  the  ordinary  Hebrew  expression  '  lay 
to  heart'  ('pay  heed  to,'  'think  of),  which  occurs  in  sHghtly 
varying  forms  in  i  Sam.  ix.  20,  xxi.  13  ;  2  Sam.  xiii.  33,  and 
Isa.  Ivii.  I,  II. 

For  part  read  *  half,'  as  before  in  verse  16.  This  verse,  however, 
is  free  from  the  confusions  that  there  encumber  the  traditional 
Hebrew  text.  Here  again  the  Hebrew  tenses  are  more  accur- 
ately represented  by  rendering  :  '  I  have  baked  bread  upon  its 
coals,  am  roasting  flesh  to  eat  it.'  The  present  tenses  here  cori^e- 
spond  (as  in  verse  17  above)  to  the  imperfect  in  Hebrew.  The 
word  abomination  (cf.  Gen.  xliii.  32,  and  xlvi.  34 — J)  is  used  in 
pre-exilian  Hebrew  for  anything  unclean  the  use  of  which  involves 
violation  of  religious  taboos  or  restrictions  (so  also  of  food  in 
Deut.  xiv.  3).  After  the  Deuteronomic  legislation  (621  b.c.)  it 
is  a  term  constantly  applied  to  idol-images  or  idol-worship  (Ezek. 
xvi.  2  ;  I  Kings  xiv.  24 ;  2  Kings  xvi.  3,  xxi.  2,  xxiii.  13  ;  Ezra 
ix.  1). 

20  begins  with  a  casus  pendens,  a  not  infrequent  construction 
in  Hebrew  to  secure  emphasis  (Davidson's  //fir^w  Syntax,  §  106). 
We  should  therefore  render  :  '  As  for  one  who  feeds  on  ashes, 
a  heart  that  is  perverted  has  turned  him  aside  so  that  he  fails  to 
deliver  himself,  nor  thinks  "  Is  there  not  a  lie  in  my  right  hand  ?  "  ' 
This  concluding  utterance  has  the  character  of  a  niashdl  or  pro- 
verbial saying.  The  word  ashes  is  emploj^ed  to  describe  anything 
that  is  vain  or  worthless.  Thus  Job,  in  response  to  Zophar  and 
his  other  friends,  says  :  '  Your  memorable  words  are  ash-sayings,' 
i.  e.  worthless  (Job  xiii.  12).  The  religion  of  an  idolater  is  an 
empty  support  for  a  soul's  life.  It  fails  to  save.  The  idol  which 
he  handles  is  a  delusion  and  fraud.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  the 
word  soTil  (jiefesh)  means  frequently  'life,'  and  is  often  employed 

I 


ti4  ISAIAH  44.  21-23 

3 1  Remember  these  things,  O  Jacob ;  and  Israel,  for  thou 
art   my  servant :    I   have   formed   thee ;    thou   art   my 

2  3  servant :  O  Israel,  thou  shalt  not  be  forgotten  of  me.  I 
have  blotted  out,  as  a  thick  cloud,  thy  transgressions, 
and,  as  a  cloud,  thy  sins:  return  unto  me;  for  I  have 

23  redeemed  thee.  Sing,  O  ye  heavens,  for  the  Lord  hath 
done  it ;  shout,  ye  lower  parts  of  the  earth ;  break  forth 
into  singing,   ye   mountains,   O    forest,   and   every  tree 

to  express  the  English  *self '  in  Hebrew,  and  yet  more  frequently 
in  Arabic.  Cf.  Hos.  ix.  4 ;  Isa.  xlvi.  2,  and  Job  ix.  21.  Another 
idiom  to  be  observed  is  the  use  of  the  verb  say  in  Hebrew  {amat) 
in  the  sense  of  'think.'  The  full  form  of  expression  is  'say  in 
one's  heart.'  Of  this  use  we  have  examples  in  Gen.  xliv.  28  ; 
I  Sam.  XX.  4  ;  2  Sam.  xxi.  16 ;  Exod.  ii.  14,  and  of  the  fuller 
form  of  expression  Gen.  xvii.  17  ;  Ps.  x.  6,  ir,  xiv.  i,  &c. 

Verses  21  and  22  resume  the  thread  of  thought  contained  in 
verses  6-8 ;  Jacob  is  exhorted  not  to  forget  Yahweh,  Israel's 
deliverer. 

21.  The  construction  of  the  last  clause  of  this  verse  has  been 
a  matter  of  dispute.  The  punctuation  of  our  Hebrew  text 
involves  the  rendering  given  above,  but  though  such  a  gram- 
matical laxity  as  a  personal  object  to  a  passive  seems  to  be 
supported  by  sporadic  examples  in  later  Hebrew  (Gesen.-Kautzsch, 
§  117,  4,  rem.  3),  it  is  safer  to  follow  the  LXX  and  other  ancient 
versions  and  take  the  form  as  active  and  render  '  thou  wilt  not 
forget  me  '  (cf.  R.V.  marg,,  and  so  Rashi,  Lowth,  and  Hitzig). 

The  expression  these  thing's  means  God's  unrivalled  supremacy 
and  perfect  knowledge  of  the  future  to  which  verses  6-8  refer. 

22.  The  appeal  is  coiitinued.  There  is  no  obstacle  to  Israel's 
conversion.  Israel's  sins  are  completely  forgiven.  The  con- 
ception of  Divine  pardon  presented  above  in  xliii.  25  here  recurs. 

23  is  a  jubilant  close  to  this  passage  in  the  style  of  a  psahn  of 
a  metrical  form  distinct  from  the  preceding,  and  consisting  of 
a  single  strophe  of  six  short  lines. 

The  lower  parts  or  depths  of  the  earth  here  stand  contrasted 
with  the  heavens  of  the  previous  line.  Both  together  make  up 
the  universe  as  known  to  the  Jew  in  the  days  of  the  exile.  The 
'  lower  parts  '  will  naturally  include  Sheol  or  Hades  (comp.  Ps. 
Ixiii.  9  [10  Heb.],  cxxxix.  15).  Duhm  hesitates  to  assert  that  Sheol 
is  included,  apparently  influenced  by  such  a  passage  as  Ps.  Ixxxviii. 
II,  12  (i2,  13  Heb.).  But  it  is  obvious  that  the  Deulv-^ro-Isaiah  in 
this  lyrical  passage  is  making  no  exception.  Even  Hades  unites 
in  the  jubilant  strain. 


ISAIAH  44.  24,  25  IIS 

therein :   for  the  Lord  hath  redeemed  Jacob,  and  will 
glorify  himself  in  Israel. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord,  thy  redeemer,  and  he  that  formed  24 
thee  from  the  womb :  I  am  the  Lord,  that  maketh  all 
things;   that   stretcheth  forth  the  heavens  alone;    that 
spreadeth   abroad   the   earth;    who   is  with   me?    that  25 


Chaps,  xliv.  24 — xlviii.  22.  Cyrus,  the  anointed  ruler  and 
agent  of  Yahweh  in  effecting  the  overthrow  of  Babylon  and 
the  deliverance  of  Israel. 

CHAPTERS  XLIV,  24— XLV.  25. 

We  have  here  a  fresh  poem,  whose  connexion,  hov^^ever,  with 
the  passage  which  precedes  is  fairly  clear.  We  there  read  that 
it  was  God's  great  purpose  to  redeem  Israel,  and  here  it  is 
announced  that  He  has  designated  Cyrus  as  His  anointed  ruler  to 
carry  out  this  Divine  purpose  (xliv.  24 — xlv.  7).  On  the  ground 
of  God's  absolute  sovereignty  over  man  this  procedure  is  justified 
against  all  gainsayers  (xlv,  8-13).  We  have  now  an  ideal  sketch 
of  the  vast  results  which  shall  accrue  to  Israel  both  economic  and 
spiritual.  Heathendom  shall  bring  its  wealth  to  Israel  and 
idolatry  shall  be  renounced.  Confession  shall  be  made  that  God 
dwells  in  Israel  and  there  is  none  other  (verses  14-17).  Finally, 
the  lesson  of  Yahweh's  universal  and  absolute  sovereignty  is  once 
more  enforced  as  well  as  the  folly  of  idolatry.  Only  in  Yahweh 
dwell  righteousness  and  strength.  To  him  every  knee  shall  bow 
(verses  18-25). 

Verses  xliv.  24— xlv.  7  is  a  poem  in  itself,  arranged  in  five 
strophes  each  of  five  long  verses,  while  each  long  verse  is  made 
up  of  two  short  lines,  thus  : — 

24,  25.   '  Thus  saith  Yahweh  thy  redeemer — and  thy  fashioner 

from  the  womb  : 
I  am  Yahweh  who  made  all — stretched  out  the  heavens. 
I  alone  that  founded  the  earth — who  was  with  me  ? 
Bringing  the  omens  of  liars  to  nought — make  the  soothsayers 

fools. 
Make  wise  men  turn  backward — turn  their  knowledge  to  folly.' 

Here  we  have  once  more  the  familiar  elegiac  (or  kinah)  measure 
,cf.  xli.  ii-i6\  The  reading  of  the  R,  V.,  '  who  is  (or  was)  with 
me,'  is  sustained  by  LXX  and  Vulg.,  as  well  as  by  numerous 
Heb,  MSS.,  and  is  undoubtedly  to  be  preferred  to  the  Massoretic 
reading  and  punctuation  translated  in  A.  V.  '  by  myself.' 

I  2 


ii6  ISAIAH  44.  26-28 

frustrateth  the  tokens  of  the  liars,  and  maketh  diviners 
mad ;  that  turneth  wise  men  backward,  and  maketh  their 

26  knowledge  foolish :  that  confirmeth  the  word  of  his 
servant,  and  performeth  the  counsel  of  his  messengers ; 
that  saith  of  Jerusalem,  She  shall  be  inhabited ;  and  of 
the  cities  of  Judah,  They  shall  be  built,  and  I  will  raise 

27  up  the  waste  places  thereof:  that  saith  to  the  deep.  Be 

28  dry,  and  I  will  dry  up  thy  rivers :  that  saith  of  Cyrus, 
He  is  my  shepherd,  and  shall  perform  all  my  pleasure : 

The  soothsaying  of  the  Babylonians,  whether  by  omen  or 
dream,  was  of  a  most  elaborate  character.  Examples  may  be 
found  in  art.  '  Soothsaying '  in  Hastings'  DB. ,  vol.  iv,  p.  599, 
and  in  Jastrow's  Religion  of  Babylonia  and  Assyyia,  chaps,  xix, 
XX.  Those  omens  ('signs'  or  'portents'),  on  which  the  Baby- 
lonian diviners  reUed,  are  to  be  frustrated  by  the  non-occurrence 
of  the  event  in  the  way  that  the  diviners  prognosticated. 

28.  The  second  strophe  of  five  lines  begins  with  this  verse.  It 
is  probable  that  we  ought  to  follow  the  LXX  and  recent  critics  in 
reading  '  servants '  (plur.)  instead  of  '  servant.*  The  plural  corre- 
sponds to  the  '  messengers  '  in  the  following  parallel  clause,  by 
whom  Yahweh's  prophets  are  meant. 

27.  The  older  commentators  (Vitringa,  Lowth,  and  Delitzsch) 
considered  that  this  drying  up  of  the  deep  or  of  the  'streams' 
was  a  prophecy  of  the  diversion  of  the  Euphrates  by  Cyrus  prior 
to  the  capture  of  Babylon,  whereby  his  army  was  enabled  to 
enter  the  city.  But  this  story,  recorded  in  Herod,  i,  191,  is  now 
regarded  with  considerable  suspicion,  since  we  have  no  intimation 
of  this  in  the  clay  cylinder  of  Cyrus  nor  in  the  Cyrus-Nabonidus 
Chronicle  (Schrader,  KIB.,  vol.  iii,  second  part,  pp.  122  foil., 
130).  The  reference  in  this  passage  is  evidently  to  the  wonders 
wrought  by  God  in  the  deliverance  of  Israel  on  the  banks  of  the 
Red  Sea ;  cf.  xliii,  16 ;  li.  10. 

28.  The  actual  name  of  God's  anointed,  Cyrus,  is  wholly 
unprecedented  in  a  prophecy  of  coming  events  belonging  to 
a  future  age  beyond  the  environment  of  the  present.  The  only 
resource  open  to  those  who  advocate  the  traditional  view  of  the 
integrity  of  the  Book  of  Isaiah  would  be  to  regard  the  words  *  to 
Cyrus'  both  in  this  and  the  following  verse  (xlv.  i)  as  a  marginal 
gloss  :  cf.  vii.  17.  But  even  this  would  not  be  admissible  to 
those  critics,  now  increasing  in  number,  who  adhere  to  an 
accentual  -  metric  theory  of  prophetic  composition.  That  the 
passage  here  is  metric  can  admit  of  no  reasonable  doubt,  and 


ISAIAH  45.  I  117 

even  saying  of  Jerusalem,  She  shall  be  built ;  and  to  the 
temple,  Thy  foundation  shall  be  laid. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  to  his  anointed,  to  Cyrus,  whose  45 

the  elimination  of  the  words  '  to  Cyrus '  will  seriously  disturb 
the  metrical  arrangement.  We  can  only  conclude  that  we  have 
iiere  the  language  of  a  contemporary  of  Cyrus  who  watched  his 
career  with  absorbing  intei'est.  The  occurrence  of  this  name 
in  an  oracle  more  than  150  years  before  he  lived  would  be  wholly 
unintelligible  and  purposeless  ^ 

Omit  the  words  He  is  and  render  '  My  shepherd  ' !  The  term 
'  shepherd  '  is  constantly  employed  in  the  O.T.  as  a  descriptive 
designationof  a  king.  Comp.  2  Sam.  v.  2,  vii.  7  ;  Jer.  iii.  15;  Mic. 
v.  3  foil.  ;  Nah.  iii.  18,  and  is  frequent  in  Assyrian  (ri'u.  also  rPuf, 
'  rule,'  Sennach.  Tay/.  Cyl.  vi.  65).  See  Schrader,  COT.,  ii, 
p.  153.  But  another  attractive  suggestion,  first  proposed  by 
Kuenen,  that  we  should  slightly  alter  the  pronunciation  of  the 
Hebrew  characters  so  that  we  have  another  word,  '  my  friend,' 
is  worthy  of  consideration  and  not  improbable.  The  expression 
'  friend  of  the  king'  was  a  special  title  of  dignity  in  the  Hebrew 
court  of  the  regal  period,  2  Sam.  xv.  37,  xvi.  16  (2  Sam.  xiii.  3, 
xvi.  17  ;  I  Chron.  xxvii.  33)  ;   i  Kings  iv.  5  ^. 

The  concluding  portion  of  this  verse,  '  even  saying  of  Jerusa- 
lem,' &c.,  is  in  reality  a  repetition  of  the  latter  part  of  verse  26, 
and  is  therefore  regarded  by  Duhm,  Cheyne,  Marti,  and  Kittel  as 
a  later  addendum  unskilfully  appended. 

Chapter  XLV. 

1.  The  prophetic  oracle  now  gives  Yahweh's  direct  address 
to  Cyrus  His  anointed.  For  subdue  or  '  tread  down '  other 
readings  are  substituted  by  some  critics:  Marti  'to  terrif}''/ 
Wellhausen  {SaddHC.  u.  Plmnsder,  p.  133^  '  to  overthrow '  (lit.  to 

*  The  form  of  the  name  in  Hebrew  (punctuated  Koresh,  but 
probably  to  be  pronounced  KHrush)  approximates  with  fair  close- 
ness to  the  original  nominative  Kurush  in  the  Persian,  The  form 
Cyrus  is  the  Greek  form  of  the  name  as  reproduced  in  Latin. 

^  It  is  argued  in  Gesenius,  LexP,  sub  voce,  nr"},  that  the  expression 
even  existed  in  the  Canaanite  towns  in  1400  B.C.  on  the  basis  of 
the  expression  ruhi  ^arri,  in  the  Tell-el-Amarna  letters  (Schrader, 
KfB.,  V,  letter  iSi,  line  11),  which  is  rendered  'friend  of  the  king.' 
But  here  we  should  expect  the  form  ri/ii,  rather  than  rii/ii.  Accord- 
ing to  Winckler  the  latter  form  represents  Heb.  ro'eh,  'shepherd.' 
But  it  is  not  clear  how  this  meaning  is  to  be  adapted  to  the  context 
unless  we  give  it  the  general  signification  '  officer.' 


ii8  ISAIAH  45.  2 

right  hand  I  have  holden,  to  subdue  nations  before  him, 
and  I  will  loose  the  loins  of  kings ;  to  open  the  doors 
a  before  him,  and  the  gates  shall  not  be  shut ;  I  will  go 
before  thee,  and  make  the  rugged  places  plain  :  I  will 
break  in  pieces  the  doors  of  brass,  and  cut  in  sunder  the 

bring  down).     The  rendering  of  the  LXX  throws  doubt  on  the 
accuracy  of  our  text,  though  the  general  sense  is  preserved. 

And  I  will  loose  (or  ungird)  the  loins  of  kings  con- 
tinues, by  a  change  of  construction,  the  expression  of  purpose  by 
the  infinitive  in  the  previous  clause.  This  change  of  construction 
is  not  infrequent  in  Hebrew.  The  ungirt  loins  express  inactivity 
and  hence  powerlessness.  The  'girding  of  the  loins'  was  the 
natural  preliminary  to  activity  (i  Kings  xviii.  46).  This  seems  to 
give  us  an  extra  short  line,  and  because  it  fits  in  badly  with  the 
following  line  through  its  final  word  for  '  unloose,'  Duhm  removes 
it.  But  the  LXX  appear  to  have  read  it  in  the  form  in  which 
it  stands  in  their  text,  though  it  is  freely  translated. 

After  the  word  for  Ziord  (i.  e.  Yahweh)  at  the  beginning  of  this 
verse  the  LXX  read  in  their  text  'the  God,'  and  this  should  probably 
be  retained.  Its  presence  in  order  to  express  the  contrast  with 
the  false  deities  of  Babylonia  has  a  special  significance.  Accord- 
ing to  the  C3'linder  of  Cyrus  these  Babylonian  deities  also  claimed 
to  be  the  patrons  and  helpers  of  Cyrus  ^ 

2.  The  actual  words  of  Yahweh's  address  to  Cyrus  are  now 
given.  For  rugfged  places  (lit.  places  swollen  high),  an  unusual 
expression,  the  LXX  apparently  read  the  closely  resembling 
word  in  the  original  for  '  mountains.'  Gratz,  Cheyne,  and  Duhm 
adopt  this  reading,  which  is  certainly  more  probable.  The 
conception  of  levelling  mountains  to  a  plain  for  a  monarch's 
triumphal  progress  has  already  met  us  in  xl.  4. 

The  'gates  of  bronze  '  (doors  of  brass),  which  Yahweh's  might 
is  to  shatter  to  pieces  before  the  triumphal  progress  of  His 
anointed  servant  Cyrus,  are  usually  compared  by  commentators 
with    the    hundred    '  gates    of   bronze '    in    Babylon    to   which 

^e.  g.  clay-cylinder  of  Cyrus,  lines  11  foil.,  (Marduk)  'looked 
upon  him,  and  was  concerned  about  the  righteous  king  whom  he 
bore  in  his  heart,  whose  hand  he  grasped,  about  Cyrus  King  of 
Ansan,  whose  name  he  proclaimed.'  Line  15  :  *  His  march  to  his  (i.  e. 
Marduk's)  city  Babylon  he  commanded,  caused  him  to  take  the 
way  to  Tintir  (  =  Babylon)  ;  like  a  friend  and  helper,  he  marched  by 
his  side.'  Bel  and  Nebo  {Nabil)  are  also  patrons  of  Cyrus,  *  whose 
rule  Bel  and  Nebo  love'  (line  22). 


ISAIAH  45.  3,4  119 

bars  of  iron  :  and  I  will  give  thee  the  treasures  of  dark-  3 
ness,  and  hidden  riches  of  secret  places,  that  thou  mayest 
know  that  I  am  the  Lord,  which  call  thee  by  thy  name, 
even  the  God  of  Israel.     For  Jacob  my  servant's  sake,  4 
and  Israel  my  chosen,  I  have  called  thee  by  thy  name : 
I  have  surnamed  thee,  though  thou  hast  not  known  me. 

Herodotus  (i.  179)  refers.  A  more  satisfactory  and  concrete 
comparison  is  to  the  bronze  gates  of  Balawat,  of  which  some 
plates  have  been  preserved  in  the  British  Museum,  upon  which 
are  figured  representations  of  besieged  cities,  bowmen,  and  batter- 
ing-rams. See  the  illustration  in  Jeremias,  Das  Alte  Test,  im  Lichte 
des  alien  Orients^  and  ed.  (1906),  p.  574. 

Verses  3-5  form  the  fourth  strophe  of  five  lines  or  verses  of  the 
character  described  above  at  the  beginning  of  the  poem  (xliv.  24). 
The  concealed  treasures,  or  'treasures  kept  in  darkness,'  which 
Cyrus  acquired  in  his  victorious  campaigns  must  have  been 
enormous.  It  is  probable  that  the  Deutero-Isaiah  had  heard 
something  of  the  conquest  by  the  Persian  king  of  Croesus  king 
of  Lydia  (Herod,  i.  84),  and  of  the  vast  wealth  which  he 
possessed.  But  Lydia  stood  at  some  distance  from  the  Jewish 
prophet's  normal  range  of  vision.  He  was  thinking  of  the 
immediate  future  in  Babylonia  ('  and  I  will  give  thee ').  The 
reference  is  evidently  to  the  treasures  of  Babylon^.  The  con- 
cluding line  of  this  third  verse  appears  to  have  outrun  its  true 
metric  length.  Accordingly  Duhm  (followed  by  Marti)  omits 
the  words  in  Hebrew  *  that  thou  mayest  know '  and  renders  what 
follows  :  '  For  I,  Yahweh,  am  He  that  called  thee  by  thy  name  . . .' 
The  LXX  sustain  our  Hebrew  text,  i.e.  include  the  words 
tliat  Duhm  omits.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  Cyrus-cylinder  shows 
that  Cyrus,  from  motives  of  policy,  accommodated  himself  to  the 
polytheism  of  Babylonia  and  regarded  himself  as  the  favourite  of 
the  Babylonian  deities. 

4,  Cyrus  is  not  chosen  for  his  own  sake,  but  for  the  sake 
of  Israel,  since  Yahweh  is  the  God  of  Israel  and  Cyrus  is  the 
human  instrument  selected  for  the  accomplishment  of  Yahweh's 
gracious  purposes  which  have  Israel  as  their  object.  On  the 
Hebrew  verb  translated  '  surnamed  thee '  (i.  e.  with  a  title  of 
honour)  see  note  on  xliv.  5  above. 

The  remarkable  parallels  which  subsist  between  the  phrase- 
ology of  xliv.  28 — xlv.  4  and  the  language  of  the  clay-cylinder  of 
Cyrus  (Schrader,  KIB.  iii.  2*eHalfte,  p.  120  foil.)  have  formed  the 

'  Cf.  Jer.  1.  37,  li.  13,  and  Xenoph.  Cyrop.  v.  2,  8. 


I20  ISAIAH  45.  5 

5  I  am  the  Lord,  and  there  is  none  else ;  beside  me  there 
is  no  God  :  I  will  gird  thee,  though  thou  hast  not  known 

subject  of  an  interesting  essay  by  Kittel  in  ZATIV.,  1898 
(Heft  i),  p.  149  foil.  In  the  clay-cylinder  Marduk  (Merodach, 
god  of  light)  assumes  the  same  relation  to  Cyrus  that  Yahvveh 
adopts  in  xliv.  28— xlv.  4.  In  this  document  we  read  (line  12) 
that  Marduk  'has  concerned  himself  with  the  righteous  king 
whom  he  bore  in  his  heart,  w/iose  hand  he  held,  viz.  Cyrus  king  of 
AnSan,  whose  name  he  proclaimed;  for  kingship  over  the  whole 
world  was  his  name  declared.'  This  striking  resemblance  in 
style  between  the  language  of  the  cuneiform  document  and  that 
of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  has  led  Kittel  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
Deutero-Isaiah  was  acquainted  with  the  court-style  which  pre- 
vailed in  Babylon  and  adopted  it,  since  it  was  the  form  of 
expression  with  which  Cyrus  would  be  familiar,  and  would 
therefore  be  likely  to  predispose  him  in  favour  of  the  Jews.  For 
the  attitude  of  Cyrus  to  the  Jews  and  their  religion  corresponded 
with  his  general  state-policy  of  clemency  and  tolerance  towards 
subjugated  races.  He  endeavoured  to  win  the  favour  of  the 
Babylonians  by  restoring  their  temples,  just  as  he  gave  facilities  to 
the  Jews  for  the  restoration  of  their  own  shrine  in  Jerusalem  \ 
The  gods  and  priests  of  Babj^lonia  received  large  offerings. 
Cyrus  and  his  son  Cambyses  took  part  in  religious  processions,  and 
styled  themselves  the  servants  of  Marduk  and  Nebo. 

5.  There  is  no  corresponding  parallel  to  the  clause  '  I  gird  thee, 
though  thou  knowest  me  not.'  It  evidently  forms  one  half 
of  a  line  of  which  the  other  half  is  lost '-.     According  to  Duhm's 

*  See  Cyrus-cylinder,  line  33  foil.  (Schrader,  KIB.,  iii.  2  *®  Halfte, 
p.  126) :  '  The  gods  of  Sumer  and  Akkad,  which  Nabunaid 
{Nabonidus),  to  the  indignation  of  the  lord  of  gods  (Marduk),  had 
carried  off  to  Suanna  (i.  e.  Babylon),  I,  at  the  command  of  Marduk, 
the  great  god,  caused  to  take  their  abode  again  in  peace,  in  their 
place  as  they  desired'  {us^Ub  subat  tu-itb  libbi). 

^  Duhm  makes  the  last  half-line,  the  first  of  the  entire  verse,  run 
thus: 

['The   loins   of    kings    I    ungird] — thee    I    gird,    who   knewest 
me  not.' 

This  Is  hardly  a  satisfactory  translation  of  the  latter  clause.  For 
Duhm's  reconstruction  makes  thee  emphatic.  But  in  the  original 
there  is  no  special  emphasis  on  'thee.'  Nor  do  the  preceding  and 
following  lines  lead  us  to  expect  an  antithetic  parallelism.  We 
would  therefore  suggest  :  '  I  gird  thee  though  thou  knowest  me 
not  — [take  hold  of  thy  hand].'     Repetition  of  phrase  (cf.  verse   i) 


ISAIAH  45.  6,  7  I2T 

me :  that  they  may  know  from  the  rising  of  the  sun,  and  6 
from  the  west,  that  there  is  none  beside  me :   I  am  the 
Lord,  and  there  is  none  else.     I   form  the  hght,  and  7 

arrangement,  which  is  exceedingly  probable,  it  is  the  first  line  of 
the  fifth  strophe  which  ends  with  verse  7. 

6.  they  here  includes  Israelites  and  foreign  nations.  The 
phrase  is  really  impersonal,  and  is  equivalent  to  saying — '  that  one 
may  know.'     See  Gesen.-Kautzsch,  Heb.  Gram.  ^^,  §  144,  36. 

from  the  West,'  Ht.  '  from  its  (i.e.  the  sun's)  setting.'     So 
the  Hebrew  should  be  punctuated. 

7.  Older  commentators  supposed  that  this  verse,  which  declares 
that  Yahweh  is  the  universal  Creator  who  formed  darkness  as  well 
as  light,  is  specially  directed  against  Persian  dualism,  which  made 
the  opposition  between  Ormuzd,  the  god  of  light  (in  the  cuneiform 
Aurmazd  =  Ahura  Mazda),  and  Ahriman  (Angromainyu),  the  god 
of  darkness  and  evil,  a  fundamental  factor  in  the  religious  conception 
of  the  universe.  This  was  the  opinion  held  by  Vitringa,  Lowth, 
Umbreit,  Delitzsch,  and  Orelli.  But  very  strong  reasons  weigh 
against  such  a  view,  (i)  It  is  a  priori  most  improbable  that  the 
writer  of  this  chapter,  whose  attitude  towards  the  Persian  Cyrus 
was  evidently,  on  political  and  national  grounds,  that  of  a  devoted 
and  enthusiastic  supporter,  would  have  made  a  provocative 
attack  on  the  conqueror's  religion.  His  polemic  is  directed 
against  Babylonian  polytheisvn  (cf.  xlvi.  i),  which  was  also  strongly 
tinged  with  dualism,  since  Babylonian  cosmogony  is  based  on  the 
myth  of  a  conflict  between  Marduk,  god  of  light  and  leader  of  the 
celestial  deities,  with  Tiamat,  the  dragon-goddess  of  the  dark 
ocean  chaotic  depth  and  leader  of  the  powers  of  evil.  (2)  It  is 
extremely  doubtful  whether  the  Deutero-Isaiah  had  any  knowledge 
of  the  religious  attitude  of  Cyrus  as  a  Persian.  Nor  are  we  at 
the  present  day  better  informed.  It  is  quite  otherwise  with 
Darius  son  of  Hystaspes,  who  was  a  pronounced  adherent  of 
Ormuzd,  to  whose  influence  he  expressly  ascribes  his  conquests  '. 

is  quite  in  the  Deutero-Isaianic  manner,  and  would  account  for  the 
omission  of  the  clause.  In  his  second  edition  Duhm  is  apparently 
conscious  that,  as  forming  the  latter  part  of  the  defective  line,  the 
portion  which  has  survived  in  the  Hebrew  is  metrically  too  long. 
Accordingly  he  omits  the  words  '  who  knewest  me  not,'  though  they 
appear  to  be  the  only  part  of  the  line  which  the  LXX  (Al.)  read  in 
their  evidently  mutilated  copy.  The  words  prefixed  in  B,  Ir'tVxvo'a 
<Tf,  are  apparently  a  paraphi;ase. 

^  See  Lehmann,  in  Chantepie  de  la  Saussaye's  Lehrbuch  der 
Religionsgeschichte'^  (1897),  vol.  ii,  p.  156. 


122  ISAIAH  45.  8 

create  darkness ;  I  make  peace,  and  create  evil ;  I  am 
the  Lord,  that  doeth  all  these  things. 
8  Drop  down,  ye  heavens,  from  above,  and  let  the  skies 
pour  down  righteousness :  let  the  earth  open,  that  they 
may  bring  forth  salvation,  and  let  her  cause  righteousness 
to  spring  up  together;  I  the  Lord  have  created  it. 

The  contrasts  peace  and  evil  are  more  accurately  expressed  by 
the  contrasted  terms  *  happiness '  (well-being)  and  'misfortune.' 
The  progress  of  the  Jewish  mind  towards  a  complete  Monotheism 
is  nowhere  in  the  O.  T.  more  eloquently  or  fully  set  forth  than 
in  the  Deutero-Isaiah.  Though  in  post-exilian  Judaism  Satan 
(under  the  influence  of  the  Persian  correlate  Angromainyu  or 
Ahriman)  became  elevated  into  the  prince  of  the  hostile  evil 
world  ('  prince  of  this  world ')  which  was  in  antagonism  to 
Yahweh,  yet  the  full  supremacy  of  the  latter  was  never  impaired, 
and  the  Jewish  conception  of  the  Universe  remained,  as  it  is 
portrayed  in  this  chapter,  essentially  monotheistic. 

8  is  a  lyric  insertion  or  intermezzo  of  a  similar  character  to 
xlii.  TO,   II  and  xliv.  23,  and  of  just  the  same  metrical  form  as 
the  latter  [cf.  Ps.  Ixxxv.  11  (12  Heb,)]  : 
'  Drip,  ye  heavens,  from  above  ; 

Let  clouds  with  good  order  flow. 

May  earth  open  .  .  .  [?  her  bosom] 

That  there  may  spring  forth  well-being  .  .  .  [?  and  peace], 

And  she  (i.  e.  the  earth)  may  cause  righteousness  to  blossom 
forth  together. 

I,  Yahweh,  have  created  it'  [Hhee  '  LXX]. 
Here  the  term  *good  order'  corresponds  to  the  word  sedek  in  the 
original,  which  R.  V.  renders  by  righteousness.  But  the  word 
sedek  is  not  quite  the  same  thing  as  sedakah  translated  *■  righteous- 
ness' below.  The  former  means  the  wholesome  rules  and 
customs  of  life  which  Yahweh's  Spirit  and  word,  according  to 
xi.  I  foil.,  xxxii.  15  foil.,  create  among  His  faithful  servants^  (so 
Duhm).  We  may  express  it  by  the  general  term  '  good  order.' 
On  the  other  hand,  the  word  sedakah  or  *  righteousness  '  is  more 
specific,  and  connotes  the  justice  (or  righteousness)  which  prevails 
as  a  quality  in  human  personalit3^  The  -word  yesha^,  which  R.  V. 
renders  by  salvation,  more  properly  connotes  here  security  or 
well-being.     Cf.  Job  v.  4,  it  ;  Ps.  cxxxii.  16. 

^  This  is  evidently  the  meaning  of  the  word  in  this  connexion, 
though  its  occurrence  in  this  passage,  which  sets  forth  the  high 
destiny  and  calling  of  Cyrus,  might  tempt  us  to  regard  it  as  signifying 
the  victory  of  Cyrus's  just  cause  (as  in  xH.  2). 


ISAIAH  45.  9-12  123 

Woe  unto  him  that  striveth  with  his  Maker  !  a  potsherd  9 
among  the  potsherds  of  the  earth  !  Shall  the  clay  say  to 
him  that  fashioneth  it,  What  makest  thou  ?   or  thy  work, 
He  hath  no  hands?   Woe  unto  him  that  saith  unto  a  10 
father,  What  begettest  thou  ?  or  to  a  woman,  With  what 
travailest  thou  ?   Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  Holy  One  of  1 1 
Israel,  and  his  Maker :  Ask  me  of  the  things  that  are  to 
come ;  concerning  my  sons,  and  concerning  the  wor):  of 
my  hands,  command  ye  me.    I  have  made  the  earth,  and  12 

The  third  and  fourth  lines  of  this  brief  song  are  metrically 
defective.  It  would  not  be  difficult  to  conjecture  the  missing 
words  (as  Duhm  and  Cheyne)  to  be  in  the  third  line  '  her  bosom ' 
(object)  and  in  the  fourth  'and  peace'  (subject). 

Verses  9-13  are  a  section  evidently  intended  to  meet  the  Jewish 
objector  who  perhaps  even  now  clung  to  the  flickering  hope  of 
the  Messianic  descendant  (sprout)  from  David's  stock.  Chap.  Iv,  3 
shows  that  the  exiles  still  spoke,  though  in  uncertain  tones,  of  the 
'sure  mercies  of  David,'  and  we  know  that  these  hopes  revived, 
though  only  for  a  brief  respite,  in  the  days  of  Haggai,  and  became 
fixed  on  the  person  of  Zerubbabel  (ii.  4,  20-3).  To  such  exiles 
and  others  who  strongly  objected  to  a  foreign  Messiah  as  the 
chosen  instrument  of  Yahweh  for  the  restoration  of  His  people 
the  prophet  addresses  the  needed  admonition  of  the  sovereign 
power  of  Yahweh,  the  Creator  with  whom  man,  the  created  object, 
argues  in  vain  :  '  Woe  to  him  that  wrangles  with  his  fashioner, 
a  potsherd  among  earthen  potsherds !  Saith  the  clay  to  his 
fashioner  (or  potter),  "What  art  thou  doing?  "  ' 

10.  There  is  no  sufficient  ground  for  rejecting  this  verse  with 
Duhm  and  Marti.  It  sustains  the  same  line  of  argument,  though 
the  metapvhor  is  changed.  It  continues  the  rebuke  of  man's 
arrogant  presumption  in  disputing  the  obvious  facts  of  Divine 
providence  and  destiny.  This  involves  the  same  grotesque  inver- 
sion of  man's  relation  to  the  Universe  and  its  Sovereign  that 
Isaiah  of  Jerusalem  characterized  in  x.  15  under  the  metaphor  of 
an  axe  boasting  against  the  man  who  wields  it. 

11.  The  metaphor  of  verse  9  is  here  implied  in  the  expression 
Maker  (R.V.)  or  '  Fashioner/  applied  to  Yahweh  in  His  relation 
to  Israel. 

The  expression  'Ask  me  the  future'  ('of  the  things  that  are 
to  come,'  R.V.)  implies  that  the  future  is  entirely  in  the  hands  of 
Yahweh,  man's  Creator. 

Verses  12-13.    This  universal  Lord  and  Creator  of  man  and  his 


124  ISAIAH  45.  13 

created  man  upon  it :  I,  even  my  hands,  have  stretched 
out  the  heavens,  and  all  their  host  have  I  commanded. 
I  have  raised  him  up  in  righteousness,  and  I  will  make 
straight  all  his  ways  :  he  shall  build  my  city,  and  he  shall 
let  my  exiles  go  free,  not  for  price  nor  reward,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts. 

destinies  has  raised  up  Cyrus  and  prepared  the  way  for  his 
triumphal  progress.  He  is  appointed  by  Yahweh  to  build  His 
city  Jerusalem  and  set  the  exiled  captive  free.  Render,  *  'Tis  my 
own  hands  have  stretched  out,  (Sec' 

13.  raised  him  up  (properly,  *  roused  him  up  ')  in  righteous- 
ness is  not  a  clear  expression  in  its  English  form.  The  original 
word  is  once  more  the  difficult  Hebrew  term  sedek,  which  in  its 
proper  sense  means  the  right  or  due  privilege  which  belongs 
to  a  man.  Here,  as  in  xlii.  6,  it  is  Yahweh's  due  right  or 
privilege  which  He  exercises  in  summoning  Cyrus  to  his  high 
task.  Kautzsch,  in  an  instructive  note  in  his  art.  *  Religion  of 
Israel'  (Hastings*  DB.,  extra  vol.,  p.  633,  footnote),  remarks  that 
these  terms  sedek  and  seddkah  are  often  employed  in  reference  to 
Yahweh  to  describe  '  that  aspect  of  Yahweh's  activity  which  has 
for  its  object  the  salvation  of  His  people  '  (note  e.g.  the  combina- 
tion of  righteousness  and  salvation  in  the  epithets  of  Yahweh  in 
verse  21  below).     See  also  above,  Introduction,  §  4,  p.  37. 

Cyrus  is  in  distinct  terms  commissioned  to  rebuild  Yahweh's 
city  Jerusalem.  Was  this  commission  ever  carried  out  during  the 
reign  of  Cyrus  ?  This  is  extremely  doubtful.  It  is,  as  we  know, 
expressly  asserted  in  Ezra  i  that  Cyrus  in  the  first  year  of  his 
reign  issued  an  edict  for  the  rebuilding  of  the  temple  and  restored 
the  vessels  of  the  Jerusalem  temple  which  Nebuchadrezzar  had 
carried  off  to  Babylon,  and  we  also  know  that  according  to 
Isa.  xliv.  28  (genuineness  doubtful)  this  was  a  part  of  the  divinely- 
appointed  task  of  Cyrus.  Nothing,  however,  is  said  in  Ezra  i 
respecting  the  rebuilding  of  the  city.  Its  walls  remained  in  a  ruinous 
condition  and  its  gateways  burnt  with  fire  for  nearly  a  century  after 
this  time  (Neh.  i.  3).  Nearly  all  scholars  are  agreed  (including 
Meyer')  that  the  historical  credibility  of  Ezra  i  (especially  of 
verses  7  foil.),  composed  by  the  Chronicler  in  the  third  century 
B.  c,  is  extremely  precarious.  That  a  restoration,  however,  of 
the  Babylonian  exiles  to  Jerusalem  in  the  early  days  of  the  reign 
of  Cyrus  did  take  place  is  certain,  and  that  Cyrus  gave  directions 
for  the  rebuilding  of  the  temple  must,  in  the  light  of  his  general 

'  Entstehnng  des  Judenthums,  p.  72  foil. :  cf.  Wellhausen, 
Israel,  u.  Jiid,  Gesch?^  p.  155  footnote. 


ISAIAH  45.  14  125 

Thus  saith  the  Lord,  The  labour  of  Egypt,  and  the  14 
merchandise  of  Ethiopia,  and  the  Sabeans,  men  of  stature, 
shall  come  over  unto  thee,  and  they  shall  be  thine ;  they 
shall  go  after  thee ;  in  chains  they  shall  come  over :  and 
they  shall  fall  down  unto  thee,  they  shall  make  supplica- 

religious  policy  (see  note  on  verse  4  above  and  footnote),  be 
regarded  as  inherently  probable.  But  the  actual  building  of  the 
temple,  as  we  learn  from  the  oracles  of  Haggai  and  Zechariah, 
was  only  begun  in  their  day.  In  the  second  year  of  Darius,  the 
sixth  month  and  the  first  day  of  the  month,  i.  e.  somewhere  in 
September  519  b.  c.  (nearly  twenty  years  after  the  accession  ot 
Cyrus  to  the  Babylonian  kingdom),  as  we  are  told  in  the  oracles 
of  Haggai,  '  God's  house  was  lying  waste '  (,i.  9)  ;  and  it  was  not 
till  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  the  same  month  (i.  14,  15)  that 
Zerubbabel  and  Joshua  began  the  work  of  rebuilding. 

The  Dutch  scholar  Kosters  propounded  a  theory  that  there 
was  in  reality  no  restoration  of  the  exiles  at  all  until  the  time  of 
Nehemiah  in  445  b.  c,  but  this  extreme  view  has  been  refuted  by 
Wellhausen,  and  still  more  completely  by  Edward  Meyer  in  his 
work  published  in  1896,  Die  Entstchung  des  Judenthitms.  On  this 
subject  see  below,  the  Introduction  to  the  Trito-Jsaiah  (chaps.  Ivi- 
Ixvi).  Comp.  also  G.  A.  Smith,  Book  of  the  Twelve  Prophets^ 
ii.  p.  203  f. 

Verses  14-17.  The  promises  concerning  the  future  of  restored 
Israel  now  take  an  even  higher  flight.  It  is  Israel  who  is 
addressed  (verse  14).  The  captives  deported  by  Cyrus  from 
Egypt,  Ethiopia,  and  Saba  shall  become  Israel's  possession  and 
acknowledge  the  presence  and  power  of  Yahweh. 

14.  Duhm  labours  to  prove  that  it  is  necessary  to  change  the 
personal  pronoun  from  thee  (i.  e.  if  feminine,  Zion  ;  if  masculine, 
Israel)  to  '  htm '  (i.e.  Cyinis,  the  conqueror  of  Egypt),  and  from 
thine  to  '  his '  in  the  opening  clauses.  Cyrus  is  to  conquer 
these  African  regions  and  make  their  captive  inhabitants  slaves  to 
the  Jews.  But  this  presupposition  clearly  underlies  the  passage 
and  does  not  need  to  be  made  explicit.  We  may  therefore  leave 
the  Hebrew  text  unchanged.  But  for  the  sake  of  metre  we  should 
follow  the  LXX  (as  Duhm  proposes)  and  read  '  Lord  of  Hosts '  in 
the  opening  clause  of  the  verse.  The  word  *  labour '  is  the  literal 
rendering  of  the  Hebrew  original,  but  does  not  express  its  actual 
meaning  here.  The  Hebrew  word  means  here  the  product  of 
labour,  viz.  'produce'  or  ' wealth ^'     Render  therefore:   'The 

*  Comp.  the  same  use  of  the  Heb.  word  in  chap.  Iv.  2 ;  Jer.  iii.  24, 


126  ISAIAH  45.  15,  16 

tion  unto  thee,  saying,  Surely  God  is  in  thee ;  and  there 

15  is  none  else,  there  is  no  God.     Verily  thou  art  a  God 

16  that  hidest  thyself,  O  God  of  Israel,  the  Saviour.     They 
shall  be  ashamed^,  yea,  confounded,  all  of  them  :    they 


wealth  of  Egypt  and  the  gains  of  Ethiopia  .  .  .  shall  pass  before 
thee.'  On  the  Sabaeans  or  inhabitants  of  Saba,  cf.  xliii.  3  and 
the  explanatory  note. 

15.  Is  the  supplicatory  appeal  of  the  African  captives  continued 
in  this  verse?  According  to  Dillniann  and  Kittel  it  is  not.  The 
present  verse  is  the  wondering  exclamation  of  the  prophet  at  this 
consummation  so  great  and  unforeseen.  Yahweh  is  a  God  who 
shrouds  Himself  in  mystery  (Prov.  xxv.  2 ;  Deut.  xxix.  29[28  Heb.]). 
But  Ewald,  Hitzig,  Duhm,  Cheyne,  and  Marti  regard  this  verse  as 
a  continuation  of  the  utterance  of  the  heathen.  For  it  is  rather 
the  foreigner,  who  was  unfamiliar  with  the  past  history  of  the 
Hebrew  race  and  its  relation  to  Yahweh,  who  would  be  overawed 
by  the  mystery  of  Yahweh's  nature  and  working.  A  cult  which 
had  no  graven  image  or  even  a  stone  symbol  of  deity,  which  had 
survived  the  disasters  of  foreign  invasion  and  exile,  while  other 
national  cults  had  perished  as  well  as  the  communities  who 
practised  them,  could  not  fail  to  impress  a  foreign  observer,  especi- 
ally if  he  had  suffered  the  calamities  of  conquest  and  deportation. 

We  may  therefore  regard  verses  15-17  as  a  continuation  of  the 
address  to  Israel,  as  well  as  to  Israel's  God,  b^^  the  captives  from 
Egypt  and  Ethiopia. 

'  O  God  of  Israel,  the  Saviour  '  in  the  original  makes  the  latter 
part  of  the  long  verse  metrically  overweighted  by  an  extra  word. 
Accordingly  Duhm  would  omit  the  Hebrew  words  *  of  Israel.'  So 
that  we  should  read  the  concluding  part  of  the  line  '  a  saving  God  ^.' 

16.  In  this  immediately  following  verse,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
shorter  conclusion  of  the  line  is  evidently  mutilated  and  the  only 
word  that  survives  is  the  word  for  '  all.'  Accordingly  Duhm  and 
Cheyne  would  read  :  '  all  [his  foes].'  This  reconstruction  of  the 
full  line  is  strongly  supported  by  the  consideration  that  in  our 

XX.  5;  Ezek.  xxiii.  29;  Ps.  cix.  11;  Job  xxxix.  11.  On  the  use  of 
the  Heb.  verb  rendered  *  pass  before '  (with  the  preposition  'al), 
cf.  I  Kings  ix.  8  ;  2  Kings  iv.  9. 

*  In  the  first  edition  of  his  commentary  Duhm  points  out  what 
appears  to  be  a  possible  dittography  between  the  Hebrew  word  for 
*  saving '  and  the  immediately  following  word  in  the  Hebrew,  which 
begins  the  next  verse,  'are  ashamed.'  Nevertheless,  he  is  guided  by 
a  right  instinct  in  preferring  to  cancel  the  word  '  Israel '  out  of  the 
text.     In  losing  the  word  *  saving '  we  lose  the  point. 


ISAIAH  45.  17,  18  127 

shall  go  into  confusion  together  that  are  makers  of  idols. 
But  Israel  shall  be  saved  by  the  Lord  with  an  everlasting  1 7 
salvation  :  ye  shall  not  be  ashamed  nor  confounded  world 
without  end. 

For  thus  saith  the  Lord  that  created  the  heavens ;  he  18 
is  God;  that  formed  the  earth  and  made  it;  he  estab- 
lished it,  he  created  it  not  a  waste,  he  formed  it  to  be 

present  text  they  and  them  are  altogether  vague.     Accordingly 
the  first  long  line  in  verse  16  will  read  thus  : 
'  There  have  come  to  shame,  yea  suffered  disgrace—  all  His  foes.' 
and  this  accords  with  the  line  that  follows  : 

'Together  have  they  come  to  disgrace — the  makers  of  idols.' 
The  '  foes  '  here  are  the  deities  who  are  the  patrons  of  other 
nations.  The  makers  of  their  images  are  brought  to  confusion. 
The  Jewish  race  has  survived  all  disasters  through  Yahweh's 
mysterious  power,  which  the  prophet  here  portrays  as  an  impressive 
spectacle  to  the  captive  foreigner. 

17  develops  this  conception.  While  the  foreign  races  and 
their  cults  have  gone  to  destruction,  Israel  under  the  protection 
of  Yahweh  stands  triumphant  for  ever. 

Verses  18-25.  We  now  come  to  three  strophes  of  seven  long 
lines  each.  They  stand  in  natural  sequence  of  thought  to  the  im- 
mediately preceding  confession  of  the  foreign  captives.  Yahweh, 
the  universal  Ruler  of  the  World  which  He  has  created  for  order 
and  not  for  confusion,  now  summons  the  races  of  the  worlu  and 
declares  to  them  that  He  is  not  a  God  who  dwells  in  darkness, 
but  reveals  Himself  in  truth  and  uprightness.  To  all  peoples  who 
have  escaped  the  catastrophes  of  the  past  Yahweh  declares  all 
idolatry  to  be  folly.  Yahweh  is  the  only  God  to  whom  man  can 
appeal.  All  shall  find  salvation  who  turn  to  Him  and  bow  the 
knee.  The  chapter  concludes  with  this  characteristic  and  noble 
expression  of  the  universalism  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah. 

18.  Tor  links  the  following  verses  to  what  immediately  pre- 
cedes. The  fourth  line  in  this  verse,  beginning  'I  am  Yahweh 
(the  Lord)  and  there  is  none  else,'  is  defective,  the  short  con- 
clusion of  the  long  line  having  dropped  out. 

The  word  rendered  waste  {iohu),  but  more  appropriately 
translated  chaos,  reminds  us  of  Gen.  i.  i,  2  (cf.  note  on  Isa.  xl.  17). 
There  is  no  contrast  between  the  conception  of  chaos  in  the 
cosmogony  of  Gen.  i  and  the  conception  of  the  present.  Both 
there  and  here  chaos  is  the  dark  and  formless  condition  which 
preceded  the  summoning  forth  of  light  at  God's  command  which 


128  ISAIAH  45.  19 

19  inhabited :  I  am  the  Lord  ;  and  there  is  none  else.  I 
have  not  spoken  in  secret,  in  a  place  of  the  land  of 
darkness ;  I  said  not  unto  the  seed  of  Jacob,  Seek  ye  me 
in  vain  :  I  the  Lord  speak  righteousness,  I  declare  things 

heralded  the  creative  activities  described  in  order  in  the  subsequent 
verses  of  Gen.  i  ^  God  dwells  in  light  and  order,  and  not  in 
darkness  and  chaos. 

19.  The  word  place  should  probably  be  omitted,  as  it  obstructs 
both  metre  and  sense  ^.  Read  simply,  '  in  the  land  of  darkness.' 
There  seems  here  to  be  a  reference  to  the  dark  mysteries  of 
heathendom,  to  the  caves  where  oracles  were  delivered  and  the 
necromancer  spoke  with  the  voices  of  the  dead  (i  Sam.  xxviii. 
6  foil.).  These  rites  of  the  soothsayer  and  necromancer  had  been 
definitely  forbidden  in  the  Deuteronomic  legislation,  but  every 
votary  of  a  foreign  religion  sought  their  aid 

*  horrendaeque  procul  secreta  Sibyllae, 
Antrum  immane,  petit.' 

But  the  prophetic  word  of  Yahvveb,  the  word  of  eternal 
universal  truth  and  righteousness,  was  uttered  in  the  broad,  clear 
daylight,  and  scorned  the  mysterious  double  meanings  and 
subterfuges  {ambages)  of  the  Delphic  and  other  oracles.  Egyptian 
religion,  like  the  Babylonian,  was  steeped  in  magic  (see  Hastings' 
DB.,  vol.  iii,  art.  'Magic,'  p.  207  foil.  ;  vol.  iv,  art.  'Soothsayer,' 
p.  600).     Respecting  Babylonian  magic,  cf.  xlvii.  10-13. 

It  is  significant  that  the  word  in  the  original  that  expresses  '  in 
vain'  is  the  same  word  that  is  used  above  for  'chaos'  ('waste,' 
R.  v.),  to  which  the  light  and  order  of  God's  reign  of  truth  and 
righteousness  stand  opposed.     In  Babylonian  reHgion  the  gods  of 

*  The  harmony  which  subsists  between  this  verse  and  Gen.  1.  i,  2 
becomes  much  more  clear  when  we  follow  the  rendering  of  Gen.  i. 
1-3,  adopted  first  by  Rashi  and  Ibn-'Ezra,  and  recognized  by  an 
almost  unanimous  consensus  of  scholars  (including  Ewald,  Dillmann, 
Schrader,  and  Gunkel)  as  the  most  probable.  This  regards  the 
Hebrew  word  for  'beginning'  as  standing  in  the  construct  relation 
to  the  noun  sentence  which  follows.  Verse  2  consists  of  circum- 
stantial clauses  (i.e.  is  parenthetic),  and  the  apodosis  begins  with 
verse  3  (see  Bennett's  Genesis,  ad  loc),  i.  e.  *  In  the  beginning,  when 
God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth — now  the  earth  was  chaos 
and  emptiness,  and  darkness  was  over  the  ocean-depth  .  .  .  then 
God  said  :   '  Let  there  be  light.' 

^  Not  improbably  we  have  here  a  conflate  reading  of  the  two 
variants,  '  in  the  place  of  darkness '  and  '  in  the  land  of  darkness.' 


ISAIAH  45.  20-22  129 

that  are  right.     Assemble  yourselves  and  come ;  draw  20 
near  together,  ye  that  are  escaped  of  the  nations :  they 
have  no  knowledge  that  carry  the  wood  of  their  graven 
image,  and  pray  unto  a  god  that  cannot  save.     Declare  21 
ye,  and  bring  it  forth;   yea,  let  them  take  counsel  to- 
gether :  who  hath  shewed  this  from  ancient  time  ?  who 
hath  declared  it  of  old  ?  have  not  I  the  Lord  ?  and  there 
is  no  God  else  beside  me;  a  just  God  and  a  saviour; 
there  is  none  beside  me.     Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye  22 
saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  :  for  I  am  God,  and  there 

light,  SamaS,  the  sun-god,  and  Marduk,  the  god  of  light  \  are  the 
deities  of  justice  and  truth,  as  the  Babylonian  psalms  clearly 
show.  In  Egyptian  religion  we  find  the  same  ethical  ideas 
similarly  connected  (i.  e.  with  Osiris  and  Ra). 

20.  Here  again,  as  in  xh,  i  and  xliii.  9,  foreign  nations  are 
summoned  before  Yahweh.  But  this  time  it  is  not  for  judgment. 
The  catastrophes  are  over,  and  it  is  only  those  who  have  escaped 
them  who  are  invited  to  God's  presence.  It  is  presumed,  more- 
over, that  the  disciplinary  chastisements  of  the  past  have  opened 
their  eyes  to  the  truth.  The  folly  of  idolatry  is  once  more 
asserted.  The  wooden  idols  carried  to  the  field  of  battle  (cf. 
2  Sam.  v.  21)  or  in  processions  have  been  powerless  to  save. 

21.  Nor  have  the  catastrophes  been  predicted  by  their  gods, 
who  have  been  powerless  to  avert  them.  Both  in  the  first  long 
line  of  this  verse  and  in  the  closing  one  of  the  preceding  the 
opening  portion  of  the  line  seems  to  have  been  unduly  shortened 
in  the  original.  The  argument  here  is  the  same  as  in  xli.  21-23, 
26,  an  appeal,  namely,  to  Yahweh's  prescience  and  predeter- 
mination of  future  events.  The  phraseology  at  the  opening  of  this 
verse  closely  resembles  that  of  xli.  21,  and  it  is  probable  that  we 
should  supply  the  Hebrew  word  rendered  there  '  proofs '  (lit. 
strong  grounds)  in  the  metrically  defective  opening  line  here  : — 

'Proclaim  and  advance  [your  proofs] — take  counsel  together.' 

22.  Respecting  the  conception  of  righteousness  here  ascribed 
to  Yahweh  in  connexion  with  salvation,  see  note  on  verse  13 
above  and  Introduction,  p.  37. 

^  See,  for  example,  the  citation  of  the  hymn  to  Merodach  (Marduk), 
in  Jeremias,  Das  A.  T.  im  Lichte  des  alien  Orients,^  p.  124  (cf. 
Jastrow,  Religion  of  Babylonia  and  Assyria,  p.  437  foil.)  : 
'  Place  truth  in  my  mouth 
Let  good  thoughts  be  in  my  heart.' 
K 


I30  ISAIAH  45.  23-25 

23  is  none  else.  By  myself  have  I  sworn,  the  word  is  gone 
forth  from  my  mouth  in  righteousness,  and  shall  not 
return,  that  unto  me  every  knee  shall  bow,  every  tongue 

24  shall  swear.  Only  in  the  Lord,  shall  one  say  unto  me, 
is  righteousness  and  strength  :  even  to  him  shall  men 
come,  and  all  they  that  were  incensed  against  him  shall 

25  be  ashamed.  In  the  Lord  shall  all  the  seed  of  Israel  be 
justified,  and  shall  glory. 

23.  Yahweh's  word  goes  forth  and  does  not  return  (i.  e.  cease 
to  operate,  become  ineffective).  On  this  conception  of  God's 
word,  as  though  it  were  a  physical  force,  and  on  this  idiomatic  use 
of  the  word  'return'  in  Hebrew,  see  note  on  Isa.  ix.  12  ;  cf.  also 
Iv.  II.  Similarly  the  salutation  of  peace  of  Christ's  emissary  shall 
return,  i.  e.  cease  to  operate  if  there  be  no  '  son  of  peace '  in  the 
household  to  receive  it,  Matt.  x.  13  (Luke  x.  6). 

Compare  Paul's  employment  of  the  language  of  this  verse  in 
Rom.  xiv.  IX  ;  Phil.  ii.  10,  11.  The  rendering  of  R.  V.  marg. 
should  be  substituted  for  that  in  the  text,  '  Righteousness  has  gone 
forth  from  my  mouth,  a  word  that  shall  not  return.'  word  here 
stands  in  apposition  to  righteousness.  God's  righteous  word 
shall  never  cease  to  have  power. 

24.  There  is  evident  need  for  textual  change  in  this  difficult 
verse.  The  rendering  then  will  be  :  *  Only  in  Yahweh  have  I — 
one  will  say — justice  and  might,'  i.  e.  only  through  Yahweh's 
power  can  a  man  survive  all  crises  and  be  assured  of  his  right. — 
The  remainder  of  the  verse  is  somewhat  precarious  as  to  text  and 
meaning.  Duhm's  reconstruction  is  ingenious,  and  in  translation 
runs  thus  : — *  Together  shall  they  perish  and  come  to  shame — 
who  are  incensed  with  Him^.'  But  the  LXX  in  the  main  support 
our  Hebrew  text,  and  we  have  no  need  for  such  drastic  change  as 
Duhm  proposes.  The  only  modification  needed  is  the  addition  of 
a  plural  ending  to  the  Hebrew  verb  '  shall  come.'  We  may  then 
translate  (nearly  as  R.  'V.)  '  unto  Him  shall  come  and  shall  feel 
shame — all  that  were  incensed  against  Him,'  Even  the  foreign 
foe  who  cherished  hostility  to  the  God  of  Israel  shall  come  to  Him 
in  penitent  shame  ;  a  beautiful  conception  in  full  accord  with  the 
general  teaching  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah. 

25  continues  the  utterance  of  the  preceding  verse  ('one  will 
say').     In  and  through  Yahweh  alone  Israel  attains  his  rights 

^  xli.  II  furnishes  a  close  parallel  and  a  strong  support  to  Duhm's 
proposed  emendations. 


ISAIAH  46.  I  T^I 

Bel  boweth  down^  Nebo  stoopeth ;  their  idols  are  upon  46 
the  beasts,  and  upon  the  catde  :  the  things  that  ye  carried 

and  unique  privilege.  It  is  not  needful  to  add  to  the  thought  of 
the  writer,  for  it  does  not  here  belong  to  his  message,  that  Israel's 
glory  is  enhanced  by  the  destruction  of  his  foes,  as  Duhm's 
emendation  of  the  text  in  the  previous  verse  would  imply. 

Chaps.  XLVI-XLVIII. 

Babylon's  Fate  and  its  consequences  for  Israel. 

Chapter  XLVI. 

From  Cyrus  and  the  great  part  he  played  as  Yahweh's  anointed 
servant  in  the  fulfilment  of  the  Divine  purpose  to  restore  Israel 
the  prophet  now  turns  to  Babylon  and  its  deities.  It  is  easy  to 
see  the  natural  sequence  of  the  ideas  in  this  chapter  upon  those 
of  the  preceding  one.  There  are  several  allusions  in  this  chapter 
to  utterances  in  chap,  xlv,  e.g.  we  shall  see  in  verses  i,  3  foil, 
and  7  that  the  conception  of  xlv.  20  is  resumed. 

1,  2  are  a  short  poem  of  exultation  over  the  downfall  of  Babylon's 
deities.  It  appears  to  be  constituted  of  two  strophes  of  three 
short  lines  each. 

Bel  (in  the  Babylonian  or  Assyrian  language  Behi)  is  another 
name  for  Marduk  or  Merodach,god  of  light,  who  was  worshipped 
under  the  name  Bel  in  the  capital  of  which  he  was  the  chief  god 
or  patron-deity.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  Bel  is  the  Babylonian 
form  of  the  well-known  Canaanite  Baal  which,  like  El  ('  god  '),  is 
appellative,  i.  e.  is  not  in  reality  a  proper-name,  but  is  a  covering 
epithet  which  describes  any  deity  as  the  lord  or  owner  of  a  particular 
spot.  In  this  case  the  O.  T,  writer  shows  his  close  connexion  and 
acquaintance  with  Babylonia  by  giving  the  deity  the  Babylonian 
form  of  the  name  Bel. 

Nebo,  in  the  Babylonian  form  Nabu,  was  the  patron-deity  of 
Borsippa.  As  the  city  of  Babylon,  of  which  Merodach  (Marduk) 
was  the  patron-deity,  was  superior  in  importance  to  Borsippa, 
Nebo,  the  patron  of  the  latter,  is  made  subordinate  or  son  to  the 
former.  Nebo  is  represented  as  the  patron  of  the  art  of  writing. 
It  is  he  who  inscribes  the  tablets  of  destiny,  and  one  of  his  titles  is 
that  of  '  bearer  of  the  tablets  of  destiny  of  the  gods  ^'     In  the 

^  See  Zimmern  in  KAT.^,  pp.  399  foil.  In  place  of  Nebo  the  LXX 
have  Dagon.  Though  Dagon  (in  cuneiform  Dagan)  was  not  in- 
frequently worshipped  in  Assyria,  and  was  known  in  early  Babylonian 
history  (see  Jastrow,  Ret.  of  Bahyl.  and  Assyria,  pp.  208  foil.,  cf. 
p.  51),  he  is  hardly  known  in  the  new  Babylonian  empire.  Probably 
the  name  in  the  LXX  arose  out  of  the  corruption  of  the  name  Nebo 
into  Nego  (as  in  the  name  Abed-nego  in  Daniel). 

K   2 


132  ISAIAH  46.  2,  3 

about  are  made  a  load,  a  burden  to  the  weary  beast. 

2  They  stoop,  they  bow  down  together ;   they  could  not 
deliver  the  burden,  but  themselves  are  gone  into  captivity. 

3  Hearken  unto  me,   O  house  of  Jacob,  and  all  the 

New  Babylonian  empire  his  name  and  influence  become  specially 
prominent  as  the  names  of  the  monarchs  Nabo-polassar,  Nebu- 
chadrezzar, and  Nabonidus  (Nabu-naid)  clearly  testify. 

The  sentence  which  immediately  follows  the  mention  of  these 
Babylonian  deities  is  uncertain  as  to  text  and  rendering.  We 
should  probably  translate  : — '  Their  images  have  fallen  to  the  lot 
of  the  animal  and  the  beast.  Your  carried  things  are  borne-as-a- 
load,  a  burden  to  the  weary  one.'  The  'carried  things'  here 
mean  the  images  of  the  national  deities  carried  off"  on  beasts.  We 
might  possibly  regard  them  as  deported  by  the  conqueror  (Cyrus) 
in  order  to  place  them  as  a  trophy  in  the  shrine  of  his  own  patron- 
god  (?),  as  we  read  in  the  Stone  of  Mesha,  line  12.  Similarly 
the  Philistines  carried  off  the  ark  of  Yahweh  and  placed  it  in  the 
shrine  of  Dagon  (i  Sam.  v.  i,  2).  This  was  the  consummation 
of  a  nation's  humiliation.  They  were  thus  deprived  of  the  protection 
of  their  deities.  Or  we  may  with  far  more  probability,  since  Cyrus 
was  known  to  be  tolerant  and  even  friendly  to  the  religious  cultus 
of  the  conquered  populations,  assume  that  the  images  were  carried 
off  by  the  Babylonians  themselves.  Similarly  in  Sennacherib's 
Prism-inscription,  col.  iii,  55,  we  read  that  Merodach-Baladan  on 
the  approach  of  Sennacherib  carried  off  the  patron-deities  of  his 
land  in  flight  and  placed  them  with  their  shrines  on  a  ship.  But 
it  was  the  fate  of  these  images  to  be  overtaken  and  captured. 
'  They  were  unable  to  rescue  the  load  ;  they  themselves  have  gone 
into  captivity.'  The  weary  overladen  beasts  were  an  easy  prey 
to  the  captor.  The  nunien  of  the  god  (jtefesh  in  the  original) 
was  unable  to  save  the  image-load  from  capture  and  itself  went 
into  captivity. 

Verses  3-1 1  must,  says  Duhm,  be  regarded  as  a  unity.  On  the 
other  hand,  he  would  separate  verses  6-8  (which  recur  to  the 
familiar  theme,  the  irrationality  of  idol-worship)  as  a  foreign 
insertion  belonging  to  another  writer,  probably  the  same  as  the 
author  of  xliv.  9-20.  The  grounds  for  this  view  are  by  no  means 
cogent.  We  have  already  indicated  in  the  notes  introductory  to 
xliv.  6-23  that  verses  9-20  stand  contrasted  with  what  precedes 
and  follows.  They  do  not  possess  the  same  metric  form,  and  also 
bear  a  somewhat  distinct  character  from  the  compositions 
recognized  as  genuine  belonging  to  the  Deutero-Isaiah.  They  may, 
however,  have  come  from  a  contemporary  source,  since  the  stand- 
point  of  the   Deutero-Isaiah   towards   idolatry  was   identical   in 


ISAIAH  46.  4-6  133 

remnant  of  the  house  of  Israel,  which  have  been  borne 
l)y  7ne  from  the  belly,  which  have  been  carried  from  the 
womb  :  and  even  to  old  age  I  am  he,  and  even  to  hoar  4 
hairs  will  I  carry  you :  I  have  made,  and  I  will  bear ; 
yea,  I  will  carry,  and  will  deliver.  To  whom  will  ye  liken  5 
me,  and  make  me  equal,  and  compare  me,  that  we  may 
be  like  ?   Such  as  lavish  gold  out  of  the  bag,  and  weigh  6 

character.  On  the  other  hand,  it  should  be  noted  that  the  transition 
in  xl.  18  to  verse  19  is  very  similar  to  that  of  xlvi.  5  to  verses 
6  foil.   But  no  one  denies  that  xl.  19,  xli.  6,  7,  xl.  20  are  genuine. 

3.  To  whom  do  the  parallel  expressions  house  of  Jacob  and 
remnant  of  the  house  of  Israel  refer  1  It  is  quite  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  the  Northern  Israelites  of  the  Ephraimite  kingdom, 
both  those  who  were  deported  by  Sargon  as  well  as  those  who 
still  resided  in  Palestine,  are  referred  to.  That  they  were  not 
forgotten  by  Hebrew  prophets  in  the  sixth  century  is  clearly 
shown  by  the  beautiful  poem  of  Jer.  xxxi.  15-20  (recognized  as 
genuine  by  Giesebrecht,  Duhm,  and  Cornill)  and  Ezek.  xxxvii. 
15-28  (the  two  sticks  united).  It  is,  however,  certain  that  Judah 
is  also  included,  since  '  Israel'  (as  well  as  '  Jacob ')  is  constantly 
used  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah  as  a  designation  of  the  Jewish  race 
(xl.  27,  xli.  8,  14,  xliii.  i,  xliv.  i,  &c.).  Similarly  Yahweh  is 
called  '  Holy  One  of  Israel '  as  the  national  deity  of  the  entire 
Hebrew  race. 

The  words  by  me  added  to  the  R.  V.  are  undoubtedly  implied 
in  the  meaning  of  the  text,  which  does  not  express  them.  Tvoxa. 
the  belly  (or  womb)  =  from  birth.  From  the  earliest  days  Israel 
has  been  carried  by  Yahweh  as  a  child  is  carried  by  a  parent. 
We  find  this  conception  of  tender  parental  relationship  in  Exod. 
xix.  4  ;  Deut.  i.  31  ;  Hos.  xi.  3  ;  Jer.  xxxi.  20,  as  well  as  in  the 
Deutero-Isa.  xl.  11.  Here  a  subtle  contrast  seems  to  be  intended. 
The  word  borne  in  this  verse  applied  to  Israel  is  the  same  verb 
in  the  original  as  the  expression  'made  a  load'  applied  in  verse  i 
to  the  images.  The  impotent  idols  of  foreign  nations  are  carried 
on  beasts  by  their  devotees  whom  they  are  powerless  to  save. 
Israel's  mighty  saving  God  carries  His  sons  in  His  arms. 

4.  The  old  age  and  the  *  grey  hairs '  of  Israel  do  not  refer 
to  the  present  but  to  the  distant  future.     Cf.  Ps.  Ixxi.  18, 

I  am  he  might  be  more  idiomatically  rendered  *  I  am  the 
same '  (so  Duhm),  in  accordance  with  Ewald,  Synfox  of  the  Heb. 
Lang.  (T.  &  T.  Clark),  §  314  b.     Cf.  xli.  4,  xliii.  10,  13. 

5.  Tlie  language  is  parallel  to  xl.  18,  25. 

6.  We  are  reminded  of  the  transition  in  xl,   18  to  the  verses 


134  ISAIAH  46.  7 

silver  in  the  balance,  they  hire  a  goldsmith,  and  he 
maketh  it  a  god;  they  fall  down,  yea,  they  worship. 
7  They  bear  him  upon  the  shoulder,  they  carry  him,  and 
set  him  in  his  place,  and  he  standeth;  from  his  place 
shall  he  not  remove  :  yea,  one  shall  cry  unto  him,  yet  can 
he  not  answer,  nor  save  him  out  of  his  trouble. 

that  follow,  which  also  constitute  a  digression  to  a  satire  on  the 
work  of  an  idol-maker.  The  Deutero-Isaianic  authorship  of  this 
digression,  which  is  closely  parallel  to  the  present  one,  is  not 
contested.  This  should  give  us  pause  in  asserting  that  the 
sections  xliv.  9-20,  and  especially  verses  6-8  in  the  present 
chapter,  are  foreign  insertions.  The  present  writer  is  constrained 
to  admit  that  a  fairly  strong  argument  for  such  an  assertion  may 
be  built  upon  xliv.  9-20.  Yet  even  in  this  case  it  is  easy  to 
be  led  astray  by  theories  of  interpolation  based  upon  modern 
and  artificial  arguments  as  to  (a)  uniformity  of  style,  (b)  logical 
connexion  \ 

6.  The  ye  of  the  preceding  verse  is  here  defined  :  *  Those  that 
pour  forth  gold  out  of  the  purse  .  .  .'  The  latter  portion  of  the 
verse  should  be  rendered  :  '  they  hire  a  metal-caster  that  he  may 
make  it  [i.  e.  the  precious  metal,  whether  silver  or  gold]  into 
a  god.     They  worship,  yea,  bow  down.' 

7.  *  They  lift  him  on  the  shoulder,  carrying  him — and  set  him 
down  on  his  seat. 

So  that  he  stands  without  moving  from  his  place — .  .  . 
Yea,  one  shrieks  to  him  yet  he  answers  not — rescues  one  not 
from  one's  trouble.' 

^  On  this  subject  we  would  recall  the  attention  of  the  student  to 
the  seasonable  warning  of  Dr.  Driver,  LOT.^,  pp.  306  foil.  :  *  It  may 
be  questioned  whether  recent  criticism  has  not  shown  a  tendency  to 
limit  unduly  the  spiritual  capabilities  and  imaginative  power  of  the 
pre-exilic  prophets ;  and  whether,  the  prophets  being  poeis,  guided 
often,  as  is  clear,  by  impulse  and  feeling,  rather  than  by  strict  logic, 
imperfect  connexion  with  the  context  (except  in  extreme  cases,  or 
when  supported  by  linguistic,  or  other  independent  indications)  forms 
a  sufficient  ground  for  judging  a  passage  to  be  a  later  insertion. 
It  is  also  not  improbable  that  the  discourses  of  the  prophets  have 
been  transmitted  to  us  in  a  condensed  form,  in  which  mediating 
links  may  have  been  omitted.'  It  may  be  added  that  these  remarks 
may  be  applied  also  to  exilian  and  post-exilian  literature,  and  they 
receive  strong  confirmation  from  a  recent  able  critic,  Gressmann,  in 
his  stimulating  work,  Urspriing  der  israelitisch-judischen  Eschato- 
logie.     See  §  22,  Die  Echtheit  der  Zuktinftshoffuungeii,  pp.  239  foil. 


ISAIAH  46.  8-II  135 

Remember  this,  and  shew  yourselves  men :   bring  it  8 
again   to   mind,    O   ye   transgressors.      Remember   the  9 
former  things  of  old :  for  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none 
else ;  /  am  God,  and  there  is  none  like  me ;  declaring  10 
the  end  from  the  beginning,  and  from   ancient  times 
things  that  are  not  yet  done ;  saying,  My  counsel  shall 
stand,  and  I  will  do  all  my  pleasure :  calling  a  ravenous  1 1 
bird  from  the  east,  the  man  of  my  counsel  from  a  far 


Here  Duhm  is  right  in  surmising  that  the  latter  portion  of  the 
second  long  line  in  this  verse  with  its  recurring  parallelism  has  been 
lost.  When  we  compare  the  metric  form  of  verses  6-8  with  that 
of  verses  3-5  and  verses  9  foil,  it  will  be  seen  that  there  is  hardly  a 
break  in  rhythmic  continuity.  Accordingly  we  have  a  complete 
parallel  to  xl.  19,  xli.  6,  7,  xl.  20,  and  the  theory  that  verses  6-8 
are  a  foreign  interpolation  breaks  down,  especially  when  due  note 
is  taken  of  the  fact  that  in  the  last  line  of  verse  7  there  is  implied 
the  contrast  of  the  motionless  and  impotent  idol-image  that  cannot 
save  with  Yahweh  as  the  God  of  saving  might.  See  xlv.  21 
(cf.  verse  20),  xlvi.  4  (cf.  verse  2),  where  this  contrast  is  made 
explicit. 

8.  The  rendering  by  the  LXX  is  a  warning  that  the  text  is 
by  no  means  certain.  The  Hebrew  reflexive  {Hithpael)  form, 
rendered  by  the  R.  V.  shew  yourselves  men  (or  in  R.  V,  marg. 
*  stand  fast '),  evidently  did  not  stand  in  the  Hebrew  text  used  by 
the  Greek  translators,  but  some  other  reflexive  form  such  as  '  be 
ashamed '  or  '  afflict  yourselves  '  (fast).  The  latter  appears  to 
come  nearest  to  the  Greek  verb,  which  literally  means  *  groan '  or 
'  lament.'  Accordingly  it  would  be  best  to  modify  the  text 
at  the  opening  of  the  verse  and  render  :  'Remember  this  and 
afflict  yourselves  .  .  .'  This  verse  forms  quite  a  natural  link 
of  transition  to  the  verse  that  follows. 

9.  The  '  former  things  of  olden  time  '  are  the  great  events  of 
Israel's  early  history  such  as  the  deliverance  from  Egypt,  cf.  xliii. 
16.  The  prophecies  of  Ezekiel  clearly  prove  that  during  the  exile 
period  the  Jews  became  more  attentive  students  of  their  past 
(Ezek.  xiv.  14,  xvi.  3,  xx.  4-13  :  cf.  also  Isa.  li.  2). 

10.  things  that  are  not  yet  done,  i.  e.  things  that  have  not 
yet  taken  place. 

nxy    counsel,    or    purpose,    stands    in    parallelism    to    my 
pleasure,  and  are  diff'erent  terms  to  express  the  same  thing. 

11.  The  ravenous  hird  (bird  of  prey),  or,  in  the  parallel 
clause,  the  man  of  my  coimsel  (i.  e.  the  man  whom  God  has 


136  ISAIAH  46.  12—47.  i 

country ;  yea,  I  have  spoken,  I  will  also  bring  it  to  pass ; 

12  I  have  purposed,  I  will  also  do  it.    Hearken  unto  me,  ye 

13  stouthearted,  that  are  far  from  righteousness :  I  bring 
near  my  righteousness,  it  shall  not  be  far  off,  and  my 
salvation  shall  not  tarry ;  and  I  will  place  salvation  in 
Zion  for  Israel  my  glory. 

47      Come  down,  and  sit  in  the  dust,  O  virgin  daughter  of 

chosen  to  carry  out  His  great  purpose),  is  Cyrus.  He  is  com- 
pared to  the  bird  of  prey  that  swoops  down  irresistibly  on  its 
object  (cf.  the  description  in  xli.  3). 

12.  stouthearted  (cf.  Ps.  Ixxvi.  5  [6  Heb.])  is  the  rendering  of 
our  Hebrew  text,  but  that  text  is  not  well  adapted  to  the  general 
sense  of  the  passage.  The  LXX  evidently  point  us  to  the  true 
text  and  rendering  :  *  ye  who  have  lost  heart,'  i.  e.  are  despondent. 
These  are  far  from  '  righteousness,'  i.  e.  in  the  present  context 
Yahwelt's  vindication  of  Israel's  nght.  The  Hebrew  word  is 
seddkah.  See  regarding  the  use  of  this  term  the  note  on  xlv.  13. 
In  the  following  verse  it  is  employed  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah's 
characteristic  manner  in  connexion  with  the  salvation  which 
Yahweh  is  to  secure  for  Israel. 

It  is  probable  that  those  who  were  '  far '  from  this  '  righteous- 
ness' were  the  Jews  in  Babylonia  who  were  lapsing  into 
Babylonian  idolatry  since  they  had  lost  belief  in  Yahweh's 
might. 

Chapter  XLVII 
is  a  taunt-song  in  the  familiar  kinah  measure  on  Babylon's  down- 
falP.       It    consists    of  five    strophes    of  seven   long  lines   each. 
Babylon  is  reduced  to  the  lowest   depth  of  humiliation,   and   is 
compared  to  the  captive  slave-girl  brought  down  to  the  lowest 
drudgery,  though  once  she  lived  in  proud   luxury.     This  tragic 
figure  of  the  arrogant,  tyrannical  sorceress  queen  is  maintained 
throughout  the  entire  poem.     There  is  a  certain  analogy  between 
this  poem  and  Ezek.  xxvi  and  xxxii,  as  well  as  Isa.  xiv.  4  foil. 
1.   '  Descend  and  sit  in  the  dust — virgin  daughter  of  Babel. 
Sit  on  the  earth,  throneless — daughter  of  the  Chaldaeans.' 
'Daughter  of  Babel,'  'daughter  of  the  Chaldaeans'  remind  us  of 
the  phraseology  of  Isaiah  of  Jerusalem.     The  genitive  is  what 
is  called  an  appositional  genitive,  the  city  or  nation  being  personi- 
fied (cf.  Isa.  i.  8  and  note).     Conquered  and  desolated  Babylon 
occupies  the  same  forlorn  position  as  conquered  and  desolated 

^  On  the  elegiac  {kinah)  measure  in  Isaiah,  see  Budde  in  ZATW., 
1891,  pp.  224  foil.,  and  on  the  present  chapter,  p.  237. 


ISAIAH  47.  2,  3  137 

Babylon  ;  sit  on  the  ground  without  a  throne,  O  daughter 
of  the  Chaldeans :    for  thou  shalt  no  more  be  called 
tender  and  delicate.     Take  the  millstones,   and  grind  2 
meal :   remove  thy  veil,  strip  off  the  train,  uncover  the 
leg,  pass  through  the  rivers.     Thy  nakedness  shall  be  3 
uncovered,  yea,  thy  shame  shall  be  seen :   I  will  take 

Jerusalem  in  the  oracle  of  the  earlier  pre-exilian  prophet  at 
the  close  of  the  eighth  century  (Isa.  iii.  26).  It  is  possible  that 
this  image  of  the  earlier  seer  was  present  to  the  mind  of  the 
later.  As  in  the  model  furnished  by  the  earlier  poet  of  the  well- 
dressed  lady  of  fashion  that  tripped  along  the  Jerusalem  streets 
now  degraded  to  a  captive  taken  in  war,  so  here  the  contrasts  are 
deeply  marked  between  the  delicate  and  voluptuous  imperial  lady 
seated  on  her  throne  and  the  captive  seated  on  the  ground, 

2-3.  Like  a  common  menial  slave  of  all  work  {shifltah)  she  is 
peremptorily  ordered  to  take  mill-stones  and  grind  the  meal. 
Respecting  the  position  of  the  menial  slave-girl  see  Hebrew 
Antiquities  (Rel.  Tract  Soc),  p.  40,  and  cf.  Exod.  xi.  5,  i  Sam. 
XXV.  41.  A  figure  of  the  handmill  will  be  found  on  p.  70.  In 
these  abject  conditions  she  is  commanded  to  strip  off  tlie  veil 
(worn  by  any  lady  of  distinction,  cf.  iii.  19,  Song  of  Songs  iv.  i) 
as  well  as  her  train.  We  have  already  had  occasion  to  note  the 
paraphernalia  of  a  luxurious  woman's  attire  (Isa.  iii.  18-23  ;  cf. 
Hehreiv  Antiquities,  pp.  49  foil.).  These  would  be  obviously  im- 
possible in  the  stern  world  of  a  captive.  A  long  dusty  journey  in 
the  melancholy  train  of  war-captives  lay  before  her.  Rivers  had 
to  be  crossed.  Her  outer  garment  must  be  drawn  up,  her  bare 
legs  exposed  to  the  sun  and  the  vulgar  gaze  of  the  soldiery. 

3-4.  The  close  of  this  verse  and  the  opening  of  the  following 
is  doubtful  as  to  the  text.  The  preceding  words  I  will  take 
veng-eauce  may  be  regarded  as  textually  sound,  since  they 
evidently  stood  in  the  copies  used  by  the  LXX.  The  R.  V.  will 
accept  no  man  is  obscure,  and  hardly  bears  the  sense  imposed 
upon  it,  viz.  *  None  shall  oppose  me.'  The  LXX  appear  to  have 
combined  two  readings,  the  word  for  '  man  '  and  the  word  for 
'  saith.'  The  former  should  probably  be  rejected  in  favour  of 
the  latter.  By  making  the  slight  change  in  the  vowel-points 
of  the  Hebrew  verb  rendered  *  accept '  in  R.  V.  (suggested  by 
the  Jewish  commentators  Saadiah,  Ibn  'Ezra,  and  our  own  Lowth) 
the  following  translation  of  verses  3-4  may  be  adopted  (with 
Duhm)  :— 

(3)  '  I  will  take  vengeance,  will  not  suffer  intercession— (4)  saith 
our  Redeemer, 
Yahweh  of  Hosts  is  His  name — Holy  one  of  Israel.' 


138  ISAIAH  47.  4-6 

4  vengeance,  and  will  accept  no  man.     Our  redeemer,  the 

5  Lord  of  hosts  is  his  name,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel.  Sit 
thou  silent,  and  get  thee  into  darkness,  O  daughter  of  the 
Chaldeans :  for  thou  shalt  no  more  be  called  The  lady 

6  of  kingdoms.  I  was  wroth  with  my  people,  I  profaned 
mine  inheritance,  and  gave  them  into  thine  hand :  thou 
didst  shew  them  no  mercy ;   upon  the  aged  hast  thou 

Yahweh  is  inexorable  in  inflicting  the  full  measure  of  just  penalty 
on  Babylon.  Every  expression  here  is  full  of  significance.  The 
Babylonians  worshipped  star-gods.  Istar  represented  the  planet 
VenuSj^Nebo  (Nabu)  the  planet  Mercury,  Nergal  Saturn,  Ninib 
Mars,  Samas  the  Sun  (Marduk  also  the  early  Sun),  Sin  the  Moon. 
But  Yahweh  is  here  specially  designated  as  lord  of  the  starry 
hosts.  Moreover,  as  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  He  was  the  guar- 
dian of  Israel's  interests  and  would  not  suffer  His  people  to  be 
destroyed, 

5  foil,  states  the  grounds  on  which  the  severe  penalty  on 
Babylon  was  exacted.  Yahweh  has  been  wrath  with  Israel, 
His  inheritance,  and  in  disciplinary  chastisement  has  delivered 
him  over  to  Babylon.  But  Babylon  has  used  her  opportunity 
not  in  mercy  but  in  harshness.  Proud  Babylon,  mistress  of 
nations,  shall  therefore  suffer  humiliation.  We  have  here  a  close 
analogy  to  the  language  of  Isaiah  of  Jerusalem  (x.  5-14)  against 
Assyria,  '  the  rod  of  Yahweh's  indignation.' 

6.  The  expression  I  profaned  mine  inheritance  seems  to  be  an 
echo  of  Jer.  xii.  7.  The  term  '  inheritance '  here  simply  means 
'  landed  possession,'  viz.  the  land  in  Palestine  occupied  by 
Yahweh's  people  Israel  and  owned  as  well  as  ruled  by  Him  as  its 
Lord.  This  land  has  been  defiled  because  it  has  been  captured 
by  the  Babylonian  foreigner  and  its  sanctuary  destroyed  (Ezek. 
ix.  7  ;  Ps.  Ixxiv.  7  :  cf.  Isa.  Hi.  i). 

The  reproach  against  Babylon  for  the  harsh  treatment  meted 
out  to  the  Jewish  captives  ('  Thou  didst  make  thy  yoke  weigh 
heavily  ')  is  not  reflected  in  the  tone  of  the  earlier  prophets, 
Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel.  Jeremiah  anticipated  a  time  of  prosperity 
in  the  exile  home,  and  in  his  letter  to  the  captives  exhorts  thern  to 
'  build  houses  and  dwell  therein,  plant  gardens  and  eat  their  fruit ' : 
'  Seek  the  peace  of  the  city  whither  I  have  caused  you  to  go  into 
exile,  and  pray  unto  Yahweh  for  it,  for  in  the  peace  thereof  shall 
ye  have  peace  '  (xxix.  5-7).  This  appears  to  have  been  also  the 
attitude  of  the  prophet  Ezekiel,  whose  tendency  is  decisively 
pro-Babylonian  (Ezek.  xxvi.  7  foil.,  xxix.  18,  19).  The  political 
sympathies   of  both    prophets,    which    were    at    the    same    time 


ISAIAH  47.  7,  8  139 

very  heavily  laid  thy  yoke.     And  thou  saidst,  I  shall  be  7 
a  lady  for  ever :  so  that  thou  didst  not  lay  these  things 
to   thy  heart,   neither  didst   remember   the  latter  end 
thereof. 

Now  therefore  hear  this,  thou  that  art  given  to  pleasures,  8 
that  dwellest  carelessly,  that  sayest  in  thine  heart,  I  am, 
and  there  is  none  else  beside  me;   I  shall  not  sit  as  a 

anti-Egyptian  and  directed  against  the  court-party  and  the  false 
prophets,  would  lead  them  to  acquiesce  in  Babylonian  rule  and 
even  in  the  deportation  of  the  inhabitants  into  exile.  But  more 
than  forty  years  had  now  elapsed.  Evidently  a  change  in  the 
attitude  of  the  Babylonian  conquerors  to  the  Jews  had  super- 
vened, and  exile  among  foreigners  was  felt  to  be  a  galling  yoke. 

7.  R.  V.  correctly  follows  LXX  in  connecting  the  word  for 
ever  with  'mistress'  ('lady')  which  immediately  precedes  it: 
'  I  shall  be  mistress  for  ever.'  On  the  other  hand,  the  Jewish 
punctuators  carry  the  Hebrew  word  ^ad  ('  for  ever ')  into  the 
next  clause. 

8.  '  Now  hear  this,  thou  luxurious — that  sittest  at  ease, 

Who  thinketh  to  herself— 'Tis  I,  and  nought  else  ! 

I  shall  not  sit  as  a  widow — nor  know  childlessness.' 
The  earlier  part  of  this  verse,  '  that  sittest  at  ease  .  .  .  and  nought 
else,'  recurs  in  Zeph.  ii.  15.  Zephaniah  composed  his  oracles 
nearly  100  years  earlier  than  the  Deutero-Isaiah,  near  the  begin- 
ning of  Josiah's  reign ;  and  at  that  time  Assyria  was  tottering  to 
its  fall.  In  ii.  13, 14  the  downfall  of  Nineveh  is  evidently  predicted. 
Verse  15,  however,  is  rightly  regarded  by  Nowack  and  Marti  as  an 
interpolation,  and  the  phraseology  of  our  verse  has  evidently  been 
inserted  there.  The  expression  There  is  none  else,  or  '  There  is 
none  except  me,'  is  one  that  can  only  be  employed  by  Yahweh 
the  supreme  God  (Isa,  xlv.  6,  xlvi.  9).  The  phrase  recurs  below 
(verse  10).  Here  the  proud  Babylon  arrogates  it  to  herself  as  the 
eternal  mistress  of  kingdoms.  This  trait  in  language  shows  that 
the  passage  is  integral  to  the  Deutero-Isaiah.  This  was  perceived 
long  ago  by  Jahn  and  Eichhorn.  Schwally  in  ZATW.  (1890), 
vol.  x,  pp.  195  foil.,  is  quite  wrong  in  maintaining  the  contrary 
position  that  it  originated  with  Zephaniah.  Schwallj'',  as  well 
as  many  recent  critics,  is  well  aware  that  the  collection  of 
Zephaniah's  oracles  is  full  of  later  insertions. 

The  '  childlessness  '  refers  to  the  depopulation  caused  by  the 
sword,  flight  of  inhabitants,  or  their  captivity.  The  '  widowhood  ' 
is  a  metaphor  descriptive  of  the  forlorn  position  of  the  city 
forsaken  by  her  allies,  peoples,  and  their  kings. 


I40  ISAIAH  47.  9-12 

9  widow,  neither  shall  I  know  the  loss  of  children :  but 
these  two  things  shall  come  to  thee  in  a  moment  in  one 
day,  the  loss  of  children,  and  widowhood :  in  their  full 
measure  shall  they  come  upon  thee,  despite  of  the 
multitude  of  thy  sorceries,  and  the  great  abundance  of 

10  thine  enchantments.  For  thou  hast  trusted  in  thy  wicked- 
ness ;  thou  hast  said,  None  seeth  me ;  thy  wisdom  and 
thy  knowledge,  it  hath  perverted  thee :  and  thou  hast 
said  in  thine  heart,  I  am,  and  there  is  none  else  beside 

11  me.  Therefore  shall  evil  come  upon  thee;  thou  shalt 
not  know  the  dawning  thereof:  and  mischief  shall  fall 
upon  thee ;  thou  shalt  not  be  able  to  put  it  away :  and 
desolation  shall  come  upon  thee  suddenly,  which  thou 

12  knowest  not.  Stand  now  with  thine  enchantments,  and 
with  the  multitude  of  thy  sorceries,  wherein  thou  hast 
laboured  from  thy  youth  ;  if  so  be  thou  shalt  be  able  to 

9  declares  the  hollowness  of  the  boast.  Both  these  evils, 
widowhood  and  childlessness,  shall  overtake  the  doomed  city. 
Babylonia  was  the  land  of  magic — of  spell  that  brought  disaster  on 
an  enemy — of  counterspell  that  averted  ill  (see  Hastings'  DB.^ 
vol.  iii,  art.  ^  Magic/  pp.  208-10).  None  of  these  shall  avail 
Bab3'lon  in  this  hour  of  her  calamity,  *  though  thy  magic  arts  be 
many,  though  thy  spells  be  very  potent.' 

10.  'Yet  thou  didst  trust  in  thine  evil — didst  think  :  none  sees 
me,'  i.  e.  thought  that  there  was  no  God  who  took  thought  of  her 
evil  deeds;  cf.  Ps.  x.  11.  These  evil  deeds,  in  the  view  of  the 
writer,  mainly  consisted  in  the  oppression  of  the  Jewish  exiles  ; 
but  we  are  not  informed  in  what  that  oppression  consisted  (verse  6). 
The  wisdom  and  the  kno'wledg'e  refer  to  the  system  of  magical 
incantations,  which  were  of  an  elaborate  character,  as  well  as  to 
the  'soothsaying.' 

11.  The  rendering  the  dawning-  thereof  has  no  definite  mean- 
ing. R.  V.  marg.  is  almost  certainly  right :  <  how  to  charm  it 
away.'     The  whole  line  may  be  translated  thus  : 

'  Yet  evil  shall  come  upon  thee  that  thou  knowest  not  how  to 
avert  by  incantation.' 

12.  This  verse  is  severely  ironical,  like  Elijah's  scoffing  injunction 
in  I  Kings  xviii.  27  :  '  Abide  by  thy  spells  and  thy  many  incanta- 
tions whereby  thou  weariest  thyself  from  thy  youth  up.    Perhaps 


ISAIAH  47.  13  141 

profit,  if  so  be  thou  mayest  prevail.     Thou  art  wearied  13 
in  the  multitude  of  thy  counsels  :  let  now  the  astrologers, 
the  stargazers,  the  monthly  prognosticators,  stand  up,  and 
save  thee  from  the  things  that  shall  come  upon  thee. 

thou  art  able  to  win  advantage,  perhaps  thou  wilt  scare  away 
(thy  foes).' 

13.  Irony  mingles  with  a  tone  of  pathetic  remonstrance  :  '  Thou 
art  weary  with  thy  many  counsellors  ^.  May  they  stand  (by  you) 
and  save  you,  who  divide  the  heavens,  the  gazers  at  the  stars, 
making  known  month  by  month  whence  they  come  upon  you.' 
By  '  they  *  in  the  last  clause  is  meant  the  events  which  are  prog- 
nosticated. 

The  allusion  in  this  verse  is  to  the  elaborate  system  of  astro- 
logy practised  by  the  Babylonian  soothsayers.  On  this  subject 
consult  the  art.  '  Soothsaying '  in  Hastings'  DB.  The  omen- 
tablets  mark  the  distinctions  in  the  celestial  conjunctions  with 
a  wearisome  excess  of  detail.  We  take  the  following  example, 
cited  from  Jastrow's  Religion  of  Babylonia  and  Assyria  (see  chaps, 
xix  and  xx)  : — 

'  Sun  and  moon  are  seen  apart  (i.  e.  at  different  times)  ; 
The  king  of  the  country  will  manifest  wisdom.' 
*  On  the  14th  day  sun  and  moon  are  seen  together ; 
There  will  be  loyalty  in  the  land, 
The  gods  of  Babylonia  are  favourably  inclined, 
The  soldiery  will  be  in  accord  with  the  king's  desire, 
The  cattle  of  Babylonia  will  pasture  in  safety.' 
'  On  the  15th  day  the  sun  and  moon  are  seen  together ; 
A  powerful  enemy  raises  his  weapons  against  the  land, 
The  enemy  will  shatter  the  great  gate  of  the  city.' 
The  expression  *  whence  they  come  upon  you '  marks  the  anti- 
thesis  between    Babylonian    belief  reflected    in    its    practice   of 
soothsaying,  which  ascribed  the  course  of  events  to  conjunctions 
of  sun,  moon,  and  planets,  and  the  monotheistic  belief  of  the 
Jews,  which  ascribed  all  events,  good  or  bad,  to  Yahweh  :  ' 'Tis 
I,  Yahweh,  and  none  else,  that  fashion  hght  and  create  darkness, 
making  happiness  and  creating  ill '  (xlv.  6,  7). 

^  Adopting  here  a  slight  change  of  text,  instead  of  the  non-forrn  of 
our  Hebrew  Massoretic  version.  We  have  thereby  a  natural  subject 
for  the  following  verbs,  '  stand '  and  '  save,'  as  well  as  a  parallel  to 
the  dividers  of  heaven  and  the  star-gazers.  These  were  the  coun- 
sellors of  the  Babylonian  in  the  hour  of  his  uncertainty,  like  the 
necromancer  in  the  days  of  Isaiah  of  Jerusalem  (Isa.  viii.  19). 


142  ISAIAH  47.  14—48.  i 

14  Behold,  they  shall  be  as  stubble ;  the  fire  shall  burn 
them ;  they  shall  not  deUver  themselves  from  the  power 
of  the  flame  :  it  shall  not  be  a  coal  to  warm  at,  nor  a  fire 

15  to  sit  before.  Thus  shall  the  things  be  unto  thee  where- 
in thou  hast  laboured  :  they  that  have  trafficked  with 
thee  from  thy  youth  shall  wander  every  one  to  his  quarter ; 
there  shall  be  none  to  save  thee. 

48      Hear  ye  this,  O  house  of  Jacob,  [which  are  called  by 

14.  All  these  '  counsellors '  shall  show  their  falsity.  In  the 
hour  of  Bab3'lon's  captivity  they  shall  not  save  her  or  themselves. 
Render  :  '  They  shall  be  as  stubble  whom  the  fire  hath  burnt.' 

15.  Duhm  would  here  make  the  slight  textual  alteration  from 
the  Hebrew  word  for  '  thy  merchants '  or  '  traffickers '  (R.  V.  '  they 
that  have  trafficked,  &c. ')  into  the  word  for  '  thy  magicians,^  based 
on  the  same  original  Semitic  root  as  the  word  assumed  in  the 
Hebrew  text  in  verse  11,  in  the  rendering  'avert  by  incantation' 
(R.  V.  'charm  away').  This  will  bring  the  verse  into  exact  harmony 
with  verses  11  and  13  above.  This  view  is  supported  in  the  main 
by  Houbigant  and  Ewald.  If  we  adhere,  on  the  other  hand,  to  the 
reading  of  our  Hebrew  text,  '  merchants,'  we  should  understand 
the  term  as  referring  to  the  magicians  and  soothsayers  who 
trafficked  in  their  arts  with  the  deluded  Babylonians. 

Chapter  XLVIII 

presents  problems  of  some  complexity  which  have  occasioned 
much  discussion  among  recent  critics.  Duhm,  Cheyne,  and 
Marti  regard  it  as  the  combination  of  a  genuine  Deutero-Isaianic 
element  with  another  of  a  far  different  character.  The  former  is 
an  exhortation  to  Israel  to  believe  the  new  tidings  respecting 
Cyrus  and  Babylon's  overthrow,  expressed  in  the  language  of  the 
Deutero-Isaiah  already  familiar  to  us.  In  earlier  times  prophe- 
cies have  been  delivered,  and  they  have  been  fulfilled.  Now 
a  new  prophecy  hitherto  unheard  is  proclaimed  in  vindication  of 
God's  name  and  honour.  Israel  is  summoned  to  hear  it,  and  is 
once  more  reminded  by  Yahweh  that  He  is  the  World's  Creator 
who  stands  at  the  beginning  and  at  the  end  of  Time,  and  that 
Cyrus  is  the  beloved  organ  of  His  will  respecting  Babylon.  This 
is  followed  by  a  brief  lyrical  poem  (verses  20  and  21),  which  is  an 
appeal  to  Israel  to  quit  Babylon  and  to  proclaim  to  the  world 
Yahweh's  redemption  of  His  servant  Jacob  and  the  wonderful 
providence  which  has  attended  Israel's  desert-wandering. 

Such  is  the  Deutero-Isaianic  element  in  this  chapter  presented 


ISAIAH  48.  2 


143 


the  name  of  Israel,  and  are  come  forth  out  of  the  waters 
of  Judah ;  which  swear  by  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and 
make  mention  of  the  God  of  Israel,  but  not  in  truth,  nor 
in  righteousness.     For  they  call  themselves  of  the  holy  2 
city,  and  stay  themselves  upon  the  God  of  Israel;  the 

in  summary.  The  reader  can  either  see  it  in  the  translation  of 
Duhm's  commentary  (German)  expressed  in  italics,  or  in  Cheyne's 
SBOT.  in  pink  colouring.  In  the  R.  V.  rendering  above  it  is 
unbracketed.  But  to  this  there  is  attached  in  a  series  of  paren- 
theses (which  are  bracketed  above)  passages  of  bitter  remonstrance 
severely  contrasted  in  tone  with  the  former.  The  latter,  as 
Marti  says,  assumes  the  form  of  an  interlinear  commentary.  The 
style  reminds  us  in  its  tone  of  censure  rather  of  Ezekiel  or  Trito- 
Isaiah  than  of  Deutero-Isaiah.  It  would  be  well  for  the  reader 
to  study  the  text  of  this  chapter  through  with  the  appended 
comments  before  a  final  judgment  is  passed  on  this  ingenious 
analysis  with  which  the  conservative  critic  Kittel  concurs.  It  is 
held  by  Duhm  and  other  critics  that  the  appended  passages  of 
severe  censure  were  added  by  the  editor  of  the  Deutero-Isaianic 
oracles — the  same  who  inserted  the  Servant-passages,  and  also 
appended  the  collection  of  oracles  chaps.  Ivi-lxvi  called  the  Trito- 
Isaiah.     On  this  subject  see  below,  p.  238. 

1.  waters  of  Judah  is  very  strange  and  hardly  intelligible. 
Nearly  all  MSS.  of  the  LXX  simply  have  '  from  Judah,'  and  it  is 
quite  possible  that  this  is  the  right  rendering  of  the  corresponding 
Hebrew  {niihiidah).  Seeker  would  read  '  from  the  bowels  of 
Judah,'  which  involves  a  very  slight  addition  to  our  text.  The 
same  word  occurs  in  verse  19,  and  is  found  in  Gen.  xv.  4  ;  2  Sam. 
vii.  12,  xvi.  II,  &c.  But  the  expression  is  not  characteristic  of 
the  Deutero-Isaiah  'Make  mention  of  the  God  of  Israel',  i.e. 
'commemorate'^  (in  the  sense  of  'praise').  This  expression 
occurs  again  in  Ixiii.  7  (Trito-Isaiah),  and  seems  to  acquire  a  litur- 
gical meaning. 

2.  The  holy  city  is  an  expression  which  occurs  in  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  Hi.  I.  But  there  it  is  the  ideal  city  of  the  future,  where 
the  uncircumcised  and  unclean  no  longer  dwell.  The  term 
became  a  favourite  one  in  post-exilian  times  ;  Neh.  xi.  i  ;  Dan. 
ix.  24  ;  Matt.  iv.  5,  and  in  Islam  it  is  still  el  kuds.  Here  the 
phrase  seems  retrospective,  and  presupposes  an  organized  religious 
community  dwelling  within  Jerusalem,  and  individuals  who  are 

^  In  Heb.  hizktr  (the  Hif'il  of  the  root  z-k-r,  "^  remember '). 
Similarly  the  substantive,  zeker,  means  'praise,'  in  Ps.  vi,  6,  cii.  13 
(cf.  Hos.  xii.  6;  Exod.  iii.  15,  where  it=^name'). 


144  ISAIAH  48.  3-6 

3  Lord  of  hosts  is  his  name].  I  have  declared  the  former 
things  from  of  old  ;  yea,  they  went  forth  out  of  my  mouth, 
and  I  shewed  them :   suddenly  I  did  them,   and  they 

4  came  to  pass.     [Because  I  knew  that  thou  art  obstinate, 

5  and  thy  neck  is  an  iron  sinew,  and  thy  brow  brass]  ;  there- 
fore I  have  declared  it  to  thee  from  of  old;  before  it 
came  to  pass  I  shewed  it  thee :  lest  thou  shouldest  say, 
Mine  idol  hath  done  them,  and  my  graven  image,  and 

6  my  molten  image,  hath  commanded  them.  Thou  hast 
heard  it ;  behold  all  this ;  and  ye,  will  ye  not  declare  it  ? 


proud  of  calling  themselves  its  members.  XiORD  (God)  of  Hosts 
is  Kis  name  is  an  expression  reminiscent  of  Amos  iv.  13,  v.  8, 
ix,  5  foil. 

The  word  for  prefixed  to  this  verse  links  it  not  to  the  preceding 
clause  but  to  the  opening  phrase  (verse  i),  '  hear  ye  this.' 

3.  We  once  more  note  the  famiUar  language  of  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah — xlii.  9,  xliv.  8,  xlv.  23,  xlvii.  11.  Old  prophecies  have 
received  their  fulfilment  ;  cf.  xlii.  14. 

4.  The  language  of  censure  is  attached  as  a  reason  for  the 
above  :  '  because  I  knew  that  thou  art  hard  '  (obstinate).  For 
sinew  substitute  '  clasp '  or  '  band.'  The  language  is  once  more 
unusually  reminiscent  of  other  portions  of  the  O.  T.,  e.g.  Ezek. 
iii.  7  foil.  ;  cf.  Deut.  ix.  27 ;  Exod.  xxxii.  9 ;  cf.  Deut.  ix.  6,  13. 
The  ground  which  is  here  alleged  for  God's  past  prophecies  and 
their  fulfilment  must  strike  the  ordinary  reader  as  forced  and 
abrupt.  The  tone  of  rebuke  is  different  from  the  admonitory  style 
of  xlii.  18— xliii.  2,  where  the  transition  is  natural;  cf.  also  xl. 
27-31. 

5.  The  earlier  part  of  this  verse  is  evidently  Deutero-Isaianic, 
and  repeats  the  conception  of  verse  3.  For  therefore  substi- 
tute 'and.' 

The  latter  part  of  this  verse  Duhm,  Cheyne,  and  other  critics 
regard  as  a  later  insertion.  But  this  is  by  no  means  certain,  nor 
is  it  really  at  all  obvious,  as  Duhm  asserts,  that  the  gloss-writer 
recurs  to  the  old  Deuteronomic  conception  of  Israel's  past  history 
that  it  was  nothing  but  a  continuous  lapse  into  idolatry.  On  the 
contrary,  we  are  here  reminded  of  the  vivid  consciousness  in  the 
mind  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  of  an  ever-present  and  recurring 
danger  among  the  exiled  Jews,  whose  lapse  into  idolatry — viz. 
Babylonian  idol -worship — evidently  underlies  such  passages  as 
xl.  19,  20,  xli.  6,  7,  which  Duhm  recognizes  as  genuine. 


ISAIAH  48.  7,  8  145 

I  have  shewed  thee  new  things  from  this  time,  even 
hidden  things,  which  thou  hast  not  known.  They  are  7 
created  now,  and  not  from  of  old;  and  before  this  day  thou 
heardest  them  not;  lest  thou  shouldest  say,  Behold,  I 
knew  them.  Yea,  thou  heardest  not ;  yea,  thou  knewest  8 
not ;  yea,  from  of  old  thine  ear  was  not  opened :  [for  I 
knew  that  thou  didst  deal  very  treacherously,  and  wast 

6.  ■behold  all  this,  i.e.  the  fulfilment  of  past  predictions. 
will  ye  not  declare  it.  The  pronoun  is  emphatic  ;  i.  e.  Will  ye 
not  openly  confess  with  your  own  lips,  that  God's  word  has  been 
fulfilled  ?  There  is  no  reason  for  altering  the  text,  as  Duhm  and 
Cheyne  propose,  and  rendering,  *  And  thou,  wilt  thou  not  bear 
witness  to  it  ? '  though  the  emendation  maintains  a  consistency  of 
number  as  well  as  person.  At  the  same  time,  it  should  be  noted 
that  the  LXX  render,  *  Ye  have  heard  all  things,  yet  ye  have  not 
discerned,'  evidently  based  on  a  different  text  which  may  well  be 
the  true  one. 

*7  continues  the  theme  of  the  preceding  verse.  The  advent  of 
the  deliverer  Cyrus  is  an  announcement  hitherto  unheard  ^  The 
whole  of  this  verse,  as  well  as  verse  5,  may  with  good  reason  be 
ascribed  to  the  Deutero-Isaiah.  There  is  just  as  little  reason  for 
ascribing  the  clause  '  lest  they  should  say,  &c.'  to  another  later 
writer,  as  the  latter  part  of  verse  5,  to  which  it  bears  resemblance 
in  form.  But  it  is  evident  in  this  case  that  only  the  first  part  of 
the  long  line  has  been  preserved.  Its  genuineness  is  sustained 
by  its  close  harmony  with  the  line  that  follows  in  verse  8. 

8  harps  on  the  same  string  as  verses  6  and  7.  The  R.  V. 
thine  ear  was  not  opened  is  hardly  possible  in  accordance 
with  Hebrew  usage.  It  is  safest  to  follow  the  LXX  here  and 
slightly  emend  the  text.  Accordingly  read,  *  Neither  hast  thou 
heard  [it]  nor  known— nor  have  I  formerly  opened  thine  ear.' 

The  remainder  of  the  verse  is  evidently  the  language  of  the 
later  gloss-writer.  Its  language,  as  Duhm  shows,  reminds  us  of 
the  Tri to- Isaiah.  For  the  expression  wast  called  cf.  Isa.  Iviii.  12, 
Ixi.  3,  Ixii.  2,  and  Ezek.  x.  13  in  the  original.  The  conception  of 
ancient  Israel,  wicked  from  the  birth  (*  from  the  womb  '),  is  familiar 
to  the  student  of  Ezekiel  (xvi.  22  foil.).     This  latter  clause  puts 

^  Klostermann  and  Cheyne  suspect  the  curious  form  liphne  yom, 
and  plausibly  suggest  in  its  place  l^phdnim,  'formerly.'  But  LXX 
evidently  read  in  their  text  the  form  which  stands  in  our  Bible,  and 
translate,  '  in  former  days^  Though  the  form  be  curious,  parallels 
are  not  wanting. 


146  ISAIAH  48.  9,  10 

9  called  a  transgressor  from  the  womb.  For  my  name's 
sake  will  I  defer  mine  anger,  and  for  my  praise  will  I 

10  refrain  for  thee,  that  I  cut  thee  not  off.  Behold,  I  have 
refined  thee,  but  not  as  silver ;  I  have  chosen  thee  in  the 

a  completely  new  colour  of  more  sombre  hue  on  the  beginning  of 
the  verse.  Duhm  remarks  that  if  the  first  half  of  the  verse  is 
read  in  connexion  with  what  follows  in  actual  sequence  in  the 
Deutero-Isaiah  (viz.  verse  11)  there  is  a  ring  of  happy  pathos 
about  it  :  *  Never  have  I  hitherto  announced  to  you  tidings,  in 
order  to  enhance  my  own  glory  ('for  my  name's  sake').'  The 
new  tidings  is  evidently  an  inspiring  fact  to  the  prophet  who 
proclaims  it.  But  the  clauses  which  follow  cast  a  deep  shadow. 
The  announcement  has  been  withheld  because  Israel  has  been 
a  faithless  rebel. 

9.  The  same  strain  by  the  gloss-writer  is  continued.  The 
general  sense  only  can  be  gathered  from  this  textually  corrupt 
verse.  The  LXX  render  :  '  For  my  name's  sake  I  will  display 
to  you  my  wrath,  and  my  glory  will  I  bring  upon  (?)  you  that 
I  may  not  destroy  you  utterly.'  This  shows  that  there  is  some 
uncertainty  as  to  the  reading  of  the  opening  clauses.  If  we 
adhere  to  our  Hebrew  text,  adopting  only  Oort's  emendation  of 
the  verb  rendered  refrain,  we  might  translate  thus :  '  For  my 
name's  sake  will  I  postpone  my  anger — seal  up  [i.  e.  confirm, 
attest  ^]  my  praise  unto  thee,  so  that  I  cut  thee  not  off.' 

10  evidently  belongs  to  the  same  writer.  A  comparison  with 
the  LXX  leaves  us  in  some  uncertainty  as  to  text,  but  it  is  safer 
here,  as  in  the  preceding  verse,  to  adhere  to  our  Hebrew  text. 
Israel  has  been  smelted  and  tested,  yet  not  as  ^  silver,  but  some 
base  metal  or  unworthy  substance.  Again  we  have  the  same 
language  of  bitter  reproach.  Render  :  *  I  have  tested  thee  in  the 
furnace  of  affliction.' 

From  the  latter  part  of  verse  8  to  the  close  of  verse  10  the 
reader  cannot  fail  to  note  the  pessimistic  and  almost  harsh  note. 
It  is  only  God's  sense  of  what  is  due  to  His  '  name '  or  honour 
as  the  God  of  Israel  that  saves  His  rebellious  people  from  utter 
destruction.  Duhm  hardly  exaggerates  when  he  says  that  this 
exhibits  a  conception  of  Yahweh's  character  *  that  flies  in   the 

^  On  this  use  of  the  Heb.  verb  to  'seal,'  cf.  viii.  16  ;  Job  xxxiii.  iC ; 
Dan.  ix.  24  b  [of  sealing  (i.e.  establishing,  ratifying)  a  prophecy]. 

^  Taking  the  preposition  in  Hebrew  as  what  is  called  Beth  essentiae, 
and  not  as  Beth  pretii  (with  Duhm).  The  rendering  'chosen'  is 
incorrect  here.  The  verb  in  the  original  is  used  in  its  Aramaic  sense. 
'  Tested/  or  *  tried  '  (R.V.  marg.)  is  the  right  translation. 


ISAIAH  48.  11-13  147 

furnace  of  affliction].    For  mine  own  sake,  for  mine  own  ir 
sake,  will  I  do  it ;  [for  how  should  my  name  be  profaned?] 
and  my  glory  will  I  not  give  to  another. 

Hearken  unto  me,  O  Jacob,  and  Israel  my  called:   I  12 
am  he;  I  am  the  first,  I  also  am  the  last.     Yea,  mine  13 
hand  hath  laid  the  foundation  of  the  earth,  and  my  right 
hand  hath  spread  out  the  heavens :   when  I  call  unto 


face  of  the  entire  Deutero-Isaianic  theology  ^'  Cf.  with  it  xl.  i, 
2,  II,  28-31,  xli.  8-10,  xliii.  1-6,  25 — xliv.  5,  xlix.  14-16,  li.  2-4, 
12-14,  liv,  Iv  {passim).  Though  the  sternness  of  Divine  discipline 
and  Israel's  sin  that  occasioned  it  are  not  ignored  by  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  (xlii.  18-25,  xliii.  26-28),  it  is  but  a  contrast  which  serves 
to  heighten  the  brightness  of  the  silver  lining  to  the  cloud  (cf. 
xliii.  1-3,  xliv.  1-5  standing  in  immediate  succession).  Here,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  sharply-contrasted,  interpolated  passages 
strike  no  harmonious  chord,  but  a  too  palpable  discord.  Of  this 
discord  we  have  immediately  another  example. 

11.  Here  the  interjected  exclamation  'for  how  should  it  be 
profaned  ! '  breaks  harshly  into  both  rhythm  and  sense.  The 
subject  to  the  verb  '  profaned  '  is  left  vague.  The  rendering  of 
R. V.  above  is  certainly  right  in  supplying  'my  name.'  This 
dissonant  clause  is  added  by  the  gloss-writer  to  words  that  are 
evidently  Deutero-Isaianic  (cf.  xlii.  8).  '  Another '  obviously 
means  another  deity  (cf.  the  parallel  xlii.  8). 

Verses  12-16  are  Deutero-Isaianic  in  conception  and  language. 
Cyrus  and  his  fulfilment  of  the  Divine  purpose  in  the  overthrow 
of  Babylon  are  the  evident  theme. 

12.  We  note  the  friendly  tone  towards  Israel  my  called  ;  cf. 
xli.  9,  xlii.  6.  Yahweh  summons  Israel  to  hear  Him,  as  in  xlvi.  3, 
12.  Emphasis  is  laid  on  God's  unchanging  personality  throughout 
all  time  (cf.  xli.  4,  xliii.  10,  xliv.  6). 

13.  Also  prominence  is  once  more  given  to  His  creative  power 
(cf.  xl.  22,  26,  28,  xlii.  5,  xliv.  24,  xlv.  12,  18).  The  word  for 
spread  (or  stretch)  out  is  an  Aramaic  rather  than  Hebrew  word, 
and  is  one  among  many  indications  of  the  wide  and  ever- 
increasing  prevalence  of  that  language  at  this  time. 

'  I  call  to  them  (i.  e.  the  heavens),  and  they  stood  together,'  i.  e. 
ready-created  at  the  word  of  command.  The  word  '  stand '  in 
Hebrew  is  used  similarly  in  Ps.  xxxiii.  9. 


'  . .  .der  ganzen  Theologie  Detitero-Jesaias  ins  Gesicht  schlagt„ 
L    2 


148  ISAIAH  48.  14-16 

14  them,  they  stand  up  together.  Assemble  yourselves,  all 
ye,  and  hear;  which  among  them  hath  declared  these 
things  ?  The  Lord  hath  loved  him  :  he  shall  perform 
his  pleasure  on  Babylon,  and  his  arm  shall  be  on  the 

15  Chaldeans.  I,  even  I,  have  spoken;  yea,  I  have  called 
him  :   I  have  brought  him,  and  he  shall  make  his  way 

16  prosperous.  Come  ye  near  unto  me,  hear  ye  this ;  from 
the  beginning  I  have  not  spoken  in  secret ;  from  the  time 

14.  assemlile  yourselves  is  obviously  an  address  to  the 
Israelites.  An  underlying  motive  of  this  entire  passage,  as  well 
as  of  others  in  this  section  xl-xlviii  relating  to  Cyrus,  is  not  improb- 
ably a  desire  to  overcome  a  certain  reluctance  among  many  exiles 
to  accept  the  belief  that  Cyrus,  a  Persian  foreigner,  was  Yahweh's 
anointed  servant  to  carry  out  His  behest  in  giving  deliverance 
and  restoration  to  Israel.  Chap.  Iv.  3  ('  sure  mercies  of  David ') 
indicate  that  the  belief  in  a  Messiah  of  Davidic  lineage  was  not 
extinct.  Stress  is  laid  on  God's  creative  power  in  vindication 
of  His  Sovereign  right  to  choose  any  human  instrument  He 
wills  for  the  accomplishment  of  His  purpose.  Another  co-opera- 
ting motive  is  to  convince  those  who  had  lapsed,  or  were  lapsing, 
into  idolatry  that  it  was  Yahweh's  messenger  who  announced 
this,  no  soothsayer  of  Merodach  or  Nebo  ;  'who  among  them  [i.  e. 
foreign  deities (cf.  "another"  inverse  11)]  hath  announced  these 
things  [i.  e.  the  mission  of  Cyrus]  ?  He  whom  Yahweh  loves  shall 
perform  His  pleasure  on  Babylon.'  It  must  be  confessed  that 
the  text  of  the  latter  part  of  this  verse  is  by  no  means  certain, 
though  the  general  purport  is  quite  clear.  The  LXX  had  before 
them  another,  but  by  no  means  more  correct  or  intelligible  text. 
It  omits  the  word  Yahweh  ('  Lord  '),  which  disturbs  the  rhythm 
and  is  unnecessary.  Duhm  partly  follows  the  guidance  of  the 
LXX  and  restores  the  first  person  : — '•  He  w^hom  I  love  accom- 
plishes my  design  (pleasure) — on  Babylon  and  on  the  seed'  of 
the  Chaldees.' 

15.  Here,  again,  the  LXX  indicate  that  we  ought  to  restore  the 
first  person  in  the  last  clause  (so  Duhm,  Cheyne,  and  Marti). 

'■  'Tis  I,  I  who  have  spoken,  yea  called  him — brought  him  and 
made  his  way  to  prosper.' 

16.  the  beginning  does  not  here  refer  to  the  creation  of  the 

^  The  word  for  '  seed '  (so  LXX)  and  the  word  *  arm '  closely 
resemble  each  other  in  Hebrew,  especially  when  we  remember  that 
it  was  written  with  consonantal  signs,  and  the  vowels  were  supplied 
by  the  reader. 


ISAIAH  48.  17,  18  149 

that  it  was,  there  am  I :  [and  now  the  Lord  God  hath 
sent  me,   and   his  spirit.]     Thus   saith   the   Lord,   thy  17 
redeemer,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel :  [I  am  the  Lord  thy 
God,  which  teacheth  thee  to  profit,  which  leadeth  thee 
by  the  way  that  thou  shouldest  go.     Oh  that  thou  hadst  18 

world,  to  which  verse  13  alludes,  but  to  the  career  of  Cyrus  in  its 
commencement.  Also  the  pronoun  'it'  must  be  similarly  under- 
stood. 

The  last  clause,  and  now  the  Iiord  GOD  hath  sent  me,  See, 
commences  a  fresh  insertion  by  the  same  gloss-writer  and  in  the 
same  characteristic  tone  of  pessimism  (verses  17-19). 

17.  The  opening  line  is  probably  taken  from  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  and  woven  by  the  gloss-writer  into  his  own  discourse. 
'  Thus  saith  Yahweh,  thy  God— the  Holy  One  of  Israel ' — finds 
close  parallels  in  phraseology  in  xli.  14  and  xliii.  14.  What 
follows,  however,  differs  widely  both  in  thought  and  expression 
from  the  Deutero-Isaiah.  While  it  is  not  necessary  to  construe 
the  expression  which  teacheth  thee  to  profit  as  inculcating  mere 
eudaemonism  or  '  religion  conceived  from  the  eudaemonistic 
side '  (Duhm)  *,  it  is  quite  evident  that  we  have  descended  from 
the  pure  and  spontaneous  life  of  high  ideals  and  enthusiastic  con- 
fidence in  God's  love  and  power  in  the  future  guidance  of  His 
people,  which  breathes  through  the  Deutero-Isaianic  oracles,  into 
the  atmosphere  of  doctrinal  religion  and  a  despairing  retrospect 
over  a  degenerate  past  and  lost  opportunity  ending  in  irretrievable 
ruin  (verse  19). 

18.  The  language  is  the  agonized  expression  of  a  yearning  no 
longer  possible  of  realization,  the  might-have-beens  swept  away 
in  the  stream  of  time.  This  sadness  of  retrospect  has  scarcely  a 
parallel  in  O.  T.  literature  except  in  Jer.  viii.  20:  'The  harvest 
is  past,  the  summer  is  ended,  and  we  are  not  saved.'  Yet  there, 
perhaps,  the  door  of  opportunity  is  not  quite  closed.  Here  it  is 
otherwise.  The  metaphor  of  Israel's  welfare  as  a  river  reminds  us 
of  the  language  of  the  Trito-Isaiah,  which  quite  possibly  is  echoed 
here  (cf.  Ixvi.  12).  But  there  we  have  the  language  of  a  serene 
optimism.  The  writer  beholds  a  sunrise.  Here  the  writer 
contemplates  a  sun  already  set  and  a  world  of  shattered  ideals  : — 

*  Behind  the  fiery  wastes  of  time, 
Before  eternity ! ' 

^  Surely  the  reference  to  Israel's  'righteousness  as  sea-billows/ 
in    verse    iS,  clearly   points   to   ethical    ideals    in   the   mind   of   the 


I50  ISAIAH  48.  19-21 

hearkened  to  my  commandments !   then  had  thy  peace 
been  as  a  river,  and  thy  righteousness  as  the  waves  of  the 

19  sea :  thy  seed  also  had  been  as  the  sand,  and  the  off- 
spring of  thy  bowels  like  the  grains  thereof:  his  name 
should  not  be  cut  off  nor  destroyed  from  before  me]. 

20  Go  ye  forth  of  Babylon,  flee  ye  from  the  Chaldeans ; 
with  a  voice  of  singing  declare  ye,  tell  this,  utter  it  even 
to   the   end   of   the   earth :    say    ye,   The   Lord    hath 

2^  redeemed  his  servant  Jacob.  And  they  thirsted  not 
when  he  led  them  through  the  deserts :   he  caused  the 

19.  The  writer  has  evidently  before  his  mind  the  metaphor  of 
the  Yahwistic  passage  in  the  Abraham-narrative,  Gen.  xiii.  16 
(cf.  xxii.  17,  a  closer  parallel),  v^^hen  he  wrote, '  The  offspring  of  thy 
bowels  like  the  grains  thereof  (i.  e.  the  sand). 

'And  his  name  would  not  be  cut  off  or  destroyed  before  me' 
closes  the  door  to  all  hope,  and  the  utter  pessimism  of  the  writer 
receives  its  final  touch  of  gloom. 

20-21.  We  pass  into  the  sunlight,  and  hear  strains  of  melody. 
The  language  of  this  short  lyrical  poem  is  once  more  that  of  the 
Deutero-Isaiah  : — 

*  Go  forth  from  Babylon, 
Flee  from  the  Chaldees ; 
With  loud  song  proclaim  it, 
These  tidings  make  known, 

Send  it  forth 
To  the  end  of  the  earth  : 
Say,   "  Yahweh  hath  ransomed 
Jacob  His  slave." 

*  Yet  they  have  not  thirsted, 

'Mid  wastes  though  He  led  them  ; 

Waters  from  rocks 

He  made  to  drip  for  them. 

And  cleft  the  rock  open 

And  waters  gushed  forth.' 

We  are  reminded  of  the  lilt  of  the  short  song  in  Isa.  xxiii.  16 
with  its  unmistakable  dance-rhythm.  Here,  where  the  pilgrim- 
throng  passes  forth  on  its  desert-journey  to  Jerusalem,  the 
reminiscence  of  the  earlier  time  of  Israel's  exodus  from  Egypt 
inevitably  comes  to  the  mind  of  the  writer,  viz.  Exod.  xvii.  6  (E) ; 
cf.  Num.  XX.  II. 


ISAIAH  48.  22  151 

waters  to  flow  out  of  the  rock  for  them  :    he  clave  the 
rock  also,  and  the  waters  gushed  out.    [There  is  no  peace,  22 
saith  the  Lord,  unto  the  wicked.] 

22.  Once  more  a  pessimistic  gloss  ;  though  a  perfectly  true 
maxim,  yet  wholly  out  of  harmony  with  verses  20-21.  It  is  bor- 
rowed from  Ivii.  21,  where  it  is  integral  to  both  metre  and  context. 

Our  survey  of  this  chapter  has  tended  to  confirm  in  the  main 
the  ingenious  hypothesis  of  Duhm  that  this  chapter  is  interwoven 
out  of  two  distinct  elements.  Without  the  guidance  of  this 
analysis  the  sharp  contrasts  become  extremely  difficult  if  not 
impossible  to  explain,  and  on  the  assumption  of  single  authorship 
we  are  reduced  to  the  exceedingly  forced  conclusion  that  the 
writer  interrupts  the  current  of  his  high  theme  by  severe  rebukes 
of  the  obstinate  and  unbelieving  portion  of  the  community.  But 
we  have  no  pai^allel  for  such  a  literary  phenomenon.  Nor  does 
this  strained  hypothesis  account  for  the  diversities  in  language  and 
mental  standpoint. 

We  stand  on  safer  ground  when  we  follow  recent  critics  in 
accepting  Duhm's  solution.  But  another  difficult  problem  lies 
behind  it.  What  is  the  motive  for  this  strange  literary  patchwork 
of  bright  and  dark  colours?  We  have  no  modern  literary  ana- 
logies to  guide  us  here.  We  have  to  remember  the  conditions  of 
antiquity  and  the  modes  in  which  literary  remains  were  repro- 
duced and  preserved  and  provided  with  modern  glosses  and  even 
revised  to  suit  the  present  mood  and  need.  The  careful  critical 
study  of  O.  T.  literature  has  revealed  these  features.  The  com- 
plex phenomena  of  the  Deutero-Zechariah  (chaps,  ix-xiv)  can  best 
be  explained  (especially  in  chaps,  ix-xi)  by  the  assumption  of  old 
pre-exilian  oracles  worked  over  and  adapted  by  a  post-exilian 
writer.  Not  improbably  Ps.  Ix  is  an  old  Davidic  war-song 
similarly  utilized  by  a  late  psalmist.  And,  coming  down  to  still 
later  times,  it  has  been  long  recognized  that  the  *  Ascension  of 
Isaiah  '  is  a  composite  work  of  apocalyptic  character  in  which  a 
Jewish  document  has  been  incorporated  into  a  Christian  book, 
and  utilized  for  the  purposes  of  Christian  edification  and  warning. 
Similarly  chap,  xlviii  contains  genuine  Deutero-Isaianic  material 
which  may  be  fortunately  separated  without  difficulty  through  its 
strongly-marked  tone  and  style.  This  has  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  an  editor  who  lived  in  later  post-exilian  times,  when  the  ideals  and 
hopes  of  the  close  of  the  exile,  and  even  those  of  a  century  later, 
awakened  by  the  advent  of  Nehemiah,  had  long  passed  by  and 
had  given  place  to  the  bitter  disillusionments  and  the  depressing 
retrospect  of  moral  backsHdings.  As  the  redactor  reads  the 
inspiring  oracle  of  an  earlier  time  he  inserts  his  own  sorrowful 
reflections  as  warnings  to  his  countrymen  ;  and  in  this  form  the 


152  ISAIAH  49.  r 

49      [S.  Listen,  O  isles,  unto  me ;  and  hearken,  ye  peoples, 

combined  thoughts  of  the  two  minds  and  the  two  ages  have  come 
down  to  us.  Marti  thinks  that  the  editor  belonged  to  the  same 
age  that  produced  that  strange  complex  apocalyptic  work  Isa. 
xxiv-xxvii,  which  may  perhaps  be  placed  in  the  early  Greek 
period  about  300  b.  c. 

(2)  CHAPTERS  XLIX-LV :  ISRAEL'S  RESTORATION 
AND  IDEAL. 

This  collection  of  chapters  was  probably  composed  soon  after 
the  actual  downfall  of  Babylon.  We  no  longer  hear  echoes  of  the 
march  of  political  events — of  the  career  of  the  great  conqueror  of 
Western  Asia  and  of  the  impending  downfall  of  Babylon  and  its 
deities,  and  of  Cyrus  as  the  anointed  servant  destined  by  Yahweh, 
the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  the  World's  Creator  and  supreme  Lord, 
to  be  Israel's  deliverer  from  exile.  These  subjects  no  longer 
engage  our  attention.  The  theme  of  the  successive  poems  is 
Israel's  future — the  restoration  of  Zion  with  new  glory  as  the 
centre  of  a  great  Divine  righteous  state. 

A  golden  thread  unites  the  previous  collection  (chaps,  xl-xlviii) 
to  this  and  traverses  them  both.  It  is  the  great  spiritual  con- 
ception— the  ideal  which  is  to  be  the  guiding-star  of  the  Jewish 
race,  viz.  Israel  as  God's  suffering  servant.  This  ideal  is  unfolded 
in  the  present  collection,  and  attains  its  consummation  in  the  last  of 
the  Servant-songs,  lii.  13 — liii.  12. 

Several  indications  appear  to  hint  that  some  of  the  chapters 
in  this  collection  were  composed  after  the  return  to  Palestine. 
The  frequent  references  to  Zion,  lii.  i  foil.,  7  foil.  ;  cf  li.  3,  16,  17, 
liv.  II,  12,  and  its  restoration,  would  seem  to  imply  that  the 
writer  had  just  arrived  in  Palestine  with  the  first  band  of  exiles. 
On  the  other  hand,  passages  such  as  li.  14,  lii.  11,  12,  Iv.  12  speak 
of  the  deliverance  and  departure  from  Babylon  as  something  in 
the  future.  While,  therefore,  we  have  advanced  in  time  to  a  point 
beyond  that  of  the  preceding  collection,  we  cannot  be  said  to 
have  advanced  far.  The  present  series  of  Deutero-Isaianic  poems 
may  be  said  to  belong  to  the  transition  stage  between  the  residence 
of  the  exiles  in  Babylon  immediately  prior  to  their  departure  and 
the  return  of  the  first  company  of  exiles  to  Palestine. 

Chapter  XLIX. 

Verses  1-6.  Metric  form  and  style  remind  us  of  xlii.  1-4.  It 
is  composed  in  six  quatrains,  each  forming  a  verse.  We  have 
here  the  second  among  the  *  Servant-songs.'  It  bears  no  relation 
to  chap,  xlviii,  which  forms  the  conclusion  of  the  preceding  and 
distinct  collection  of  the  Deutero-Isaianic  oracles.     On  the  other 


ISAIAH  49.  2  153 

from  far :   the  Lord  hath  called  me  from  the  womb ; 
from  the  bowels  of  my  mother  hath  he  made  mention  of 
my  name :   and  he  hath  made  my  mouth  like  a  sharp  2 
sword,  in  the  shadow  of  his  hand  hath  he  hid  me ;  and 
he  hath  made  me  a  polished  shaft,  in  his  quiver  hath  he 

hand,  it  is  linked  in  one  characteristic  particular  to  the  passage 
that  immediately  follows,  namely,  in  the  subject  which  forms  the 
dominating  theme  of  this  entire  collection  (chaps,  xlix-lv),  Israel's 
restoration  and  ideal. 

In  xlii.  1-4,  the  first  of  the  series  of  'Servant-songs,'  it  is 
Yahweh  who  speaks,  here  it  is  the  servant. 

1.  The  servant  addresses  himself  to  the  coast-lands  as  well  as 
distant  peoples,  since  his  mission  has  a  world-wide  import  (cf.  xlii. 
6  and  note,  and  also  xlix.  6).  The  expression  from  the  womb 
(or  '.  .  .  mother's  womb  ')  and  its  concrete  parallels  are  used  in 
Hebrew  to  express  '  from  earliest  origin.'  This  conception  of 
the  high  spiritual  calling  of  an  individual  preordained  by  God 
even  before  birth  first  meets  us  in  the  account  given  by  Jeremiah 
of  the  inauguration  of  his  prophetic  ministry.  In  Isaiah  the 
dignity  and  significance  of  his  initiation  is  expressed  by  a  conse- 
cration vision  (vi.  i  foil.).  In  the  case  of  Moses  by  vision  and 
miracle  combined  (Exod.  iii.  i  foil.).  In  the  case  of  Jeremiah  we 
see  the  beginning  of  an  intellectual  process  whereby  dignity 
and  permanence  are  ascribed  to  an  event  by  carrying  it  asfarback 
as  possible  in  earthly  existence.  In  later  post-exilian  times  a  further 
advance  was  made,  and  we  enter  the  metaphysical  stage  when 
institutions  and  persons  of  great  religious  significance  were 
endowed  with  premundane  existence  ^ 

The  expression  made  mention  of  my  name  is  here  used  in  a 
pregnant  sense,  i.  e.  it  means  more  than  simply  '  called  me  by  my 
name '  (cf,  xliii.  2).  It  rather  signifies  '  he  has  declared  who  I  am, 
■\vhat  importance  I  possess,  when  he  bestows  upon  me  the  name 
''  Yahweh's  servant  "  '  (Marti). 

2.  The  Divine  equipment  of  the  Servant.  Are  we  to  regard 
this  equipment,  like  the  'calling,'  as  natal  or  pre-natal,  and  is  the 
expression  in  his  quiver  hath  He  kept  me  close  (more  correctly 
*■  concealed  me ')  to  be  referred  to  the  pre-natal  condition  ?  We 
might  then  compare  Ps.  cxxxix.  13.     This  seems  a  possible  though 

^  See  Hastings'  DCG.,  ii.  p.  174  (art.  'Messiah');  Edersheim, 
Life  and  Times  of  the  Messiah — vol.  i,  p.  175.  Cf.  also  Dalman, 
is'^orj*^  yesit,  pp.  105  foil.,  245  foil,,  where  the  citations  are  carefully 

3"  rjlned  and  sifted. 


154  ISAIAH  49.  3,4 

3  kept  me  close :    and  he  said  unto  me,  Thou  art  my 

4  servant ;  Israel,  in  whom  I  will  be  glorified.     But  I  said, 
I  have  laboured  in  vain,  I  have  spent  my  strength  for 

over-strained  interpretation.  The  meaning  is  rather  that  the  servant's 
equipment  for  his  great  mission  has  been  hitherto  withheld  from 
public  observation,  though  his  appointment  has  been  long  decided 
in  the  Divine  counsels. 

We  have  here  military  metaphors,  though  the  character  of  the 
servant  as  depicted  in  chap,  liii  (a  lamb  dumb  before  its  shearers  ; 
forsaken,  wounded,  despised)  is  the  very  reverse  of  military.  The 
month,  as  organ  of  the  utterance  of  the  servant,  is  compared  to  a 
sharp  sword.  St.  Paul,  in  his  enumeration  of  the  spiritual  armoury, 
calls  the  Word  of  God  'the  Spirit's  sword  '  (Eph.  vi.  17),  and  the 
same  metaphor  is  strengthened  in  Heb,  iv.  12,  where  the  Word  of 
God  is  declared  to  be  '  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword.'  On 
the  other  hand,  in  Jer.  xxiii.  29  it  is  compared  both  to  a  fire  and 
to  a  hammer  that  batters  to  pieces  the  crag.  At  the  close  of  the 
verse  the  servant  compares  himself  to  Yahweh's  polished  shaft 
which  He  keeps  concealed  in  His  quiver  to  be  used  with  potent 
effect  against  the  enemy  when  the  proper  occasion  comes. 

3.  Israel,  standing  here  in  the  latter  portion  of  the  long  line 
(as  the  R.  V.  above  renders),  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  a  vocative 
but  as  a  second  predicate,  parallel  to  *my  servant'  in  the  preceding 
clause.  Duhm  follows  Gesenius  in  wishing  to  remove  it  from 
the  text.  It  stands,  however,  in  the  LXX,  and  there  are  no 
metric  reasons  which  demand  its  removal.  Marti  would  therefore 
retain  it.^ 

Its  presence  stands  in  the  way  of  the  theory  that  the  writer  of 
these  *  Servant-songs '  regarded  his  ideal  servant  as  a  personality 
pure  and  simple.  The  presence  of  the  word  Israel  is  fatal  to  this 
theory,  and  such  evidence  must  not  be  manipulated  out  of 
existence. 

For  the  passive  form  will  be  gflorified  we  ought  strictl}'  to 
substitute  the  reflexive  form  'will  glorify  myself,'  since  the  form 
in  the  original  is  reflexive  {Hithpa'el). 

4-5.  We  have  here  a  '  circumstantial  clause '  in  which  the 
personal  pron.  '  I '  stands  in  contrast  with  Yahweh,  who  is  the 
speaker  in  the  preceding  verse  and  again  in  verse  5  that  follows. 
Accordingly  translate : — 

*  Now  I  had  said  :    **  In  vain  have  I  laboured. 
Fruitlessly  have  I  exhausted  my  strength  "  ; 

*  It  is,  however,  omitted  in  Codex  xii.  Parsons,  and  in  one  Heb. 
MS.  But  these  are,  as  Giesebrecht  points  out,  insufficient  reason^ 
for  removal  {Knecht  Jahves  des  Deuterojesaia,  p.  31).  .,er 


ISAIAH  49.  5  155 

nought  and  vanity  :  yet  surely  my  judgement  is  with  the 
Lord,  and  my  recompence  with  my  God.    And  now  saith  5 
the  Lord  that  formed  me  from  the  womb  to  be  his 

Nevertheless  my  cause  ^  is  with  Yahweh 
And  my  recompense  is  with  my  God.' 
said  here,  as  in  many  other  passages,  signifies  thought,'  the 
full  form  of  expression  in  the  original  being '  said  in  my  heart. '  The 
servant  reflects  over  his  past  history.  It  seems  to  have  been  full 
of  suffering  and  vain  endeavour.  What  has  been  achieved  ?  Yet 
he  faces  the  future  in  humble  reliance  on  Yahweh,  who  will  reveal 
in  the  future  the  meaning  of  all  the  sufferings  of  the  past  and 
bestow  its  due  recompense.  The  language  resembles  that  of  xl. 
TO  (cf.  Jer.  xxxi.  16  ;  Isa.  Ixii.  11)  in  its  particular  use  of  the  word 
rendered  '  recompense '  as  well  as  in  the  general  sense  of  the 
passage.  The  tone  of  the  verse  reminds  us  of  Jeremiah  (e.  g.  xxxi. 
16  and  xlv),  and  is  re-echoed  often  in  Psalm  literature,  xxxvii.  5,  6, 
23,  24,  Ixii.  I  [2  Heb.],  &c. 

In  response  to  this  attitude  of  resigned  and  trustful  waiting 
Yahweh  is  maturing  His  purpose:  'who  formed  me  from  the 
womb  to  be  His  servant  to  restore  Jacob  unto  Him,  so  that  Israel 
might  be  gathered  to  Him  and  might  ^  be  honoured  in  the  eyes  of 
Yahweh,  and  my  God  shall  have  become  my  strength.' 

This  is  a  possible  rendering  of  the  text  slightly  modified  from 
the  form  as  it  is  read  according  to  the  Massoretic  tradition  {Kere) 
rather  than  in  accordance  with  the  written  text  {Kethib)  which 
stands  before  us.  The  latter  reads  'not'  in  place  of  'to  him.' 
In  the  original  both  readings  are  pronounced  exactly  alike,  and  in 
the  Heb.  text  there  are  not  infrequent  confusions  between  them. 
Of  this  we  have  a  notable  example  in  ix.  3  (2  Heb.) ;  cf.  Ixiii.  9^ 

^  i.e.  as  Giesebrecht  interprets  it,  the  servant's  claim  (Rechts- 
anspruch),  of  which  Yahweh  his  patron  is  the  defender  and  champion 
(ibid.  p.  30).  The  further  question  arises :  Against  whom  is  the 
claim  maintained  ?  The  language  implies  a  suit  at  law  or  contest. 
The  contest  is  evidently,  as  Giesebrecht  shows,  between  the  foreign 
peoples  and  Yahweh's  servant,  the  true  and  faithful  Israel,  K.  J., 
p.  32. 

^  According  to  the  Hebrew  text,  we  ought  here  to  read  the  first 
person.  Instead,  therefore,  of  '  and  might,  &c.,'  read  '  so  that  I  might 
be  honoured,'  whereby  this  clause  stands  in  complete  parallelism  with 
the  following.  The  thought  passes  by  a  transition  easy  to  a  Semitic 
Hebrew,  from  Israel  to  the  personification,  who  in  this  entire  passage 
is  speaking  (cf.  verse  i). 

^  In  ix.  3  A.V.  adopts  the  one  reading,  *  not  increased  the  joy,' 


156  ISAIAH  49.  6 

servant,  to  bring  Jacob  again  to  him,  and  that  Israel  be 
gathered  unto  him  :  (for  I  am  honourable  in  the  eyes  of 
6  the  Lord,  and  my  God  is  become  my  strength :)  yea,  he 
saith,  It  is  too  light  a  thing  that  thou  shouldest  be  my 
servant  to  raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob,  and  to  restore  the 
preserved  of  Israel :  I  will  also  give  thee  for  a  light  tp  the 

Hitzig  and  Duhm  adhere  to  the  Kethib  or  written  text,  but  assign  to 
the  verb  rendered  '  gathered '  another  meaning,  which  in  some 
passages  certainly  belongs  to  it,  of  'carry  away,'  'carry  off'; 
Hos.  iv.  3  ;  Isa.  Ivii.  i  (cf.  Gen.  xxx.  23),  or  '  be  destroyed ' — '  so 
that  Israel  be  not  swept  away.'  Duhm  goes  further  than  this  and 
detaches  the  last  clause  of  the  verse  from  its  connexion,  and  places 
it  at  the  end  of  verse  3,  thus  : — 
(verse  3)' And  He  said  to  me:    "My  servant  art  thou 

In  whom  I  shall  glorify  myself." 
And  I  was  glorified  ^  in  the  eyes  of  Yahweh, 

And  my  God  became  my  strength.' 

This  is  very  ingenious  and  attractive.  But  it  is  a  violent  treatment 
of  the  text.  Moreover,  there  lurks  behind  it  (cf.  above  note  on 
verse  3)  what  we  have  already  characterized  as  manipulation  of 
evidence.  For  it  is  obvious  that  in  its  old  and  probably  original 
context  the  displaced  passage  furnishes  a  clear  indication  that  in  the 
mind  of  the  writer  of  the  Servant-songs  the  '  Servant  of  Yahweh  ' 
is  not  a  separate  and  single  personality  but  a  vividly-expressed 
personification  of  a  community.  This  swift  transition  from  the  indi- 
vidual to  the  people  personified  and  vice  versa  is  quite  natural  to  a 
Hebrew  mind  (Num.  xx.  14,  cf.  verses  15  foil,  and  19  and  also  verses 
20  and  21,  where  the  alternations  between  sing,  and  plur.  of  this 
E  section  are  significant). 

In  all  probability  Marti  is  on  the  right  track  in  his  restoration  of 
the  text.  He  follows  the  LXX  in  getting  rid  of  the  negative  (or 
the  preposition  and  its  pronominal  accompaniment  '  to  him '  read 
in  its  place),  which  is  due  to  dittography.  With  a  slight  change  in 
punctuation  and  the  alteration  of  a  single  character  we  obtain 
what  is  probably  the  true  original  version  of  verse  5  : — 

R.V.  adopts  the  other,  '  hast  increased  their  joy,'  lit.  '  joy  to  him  ' 
(i.e.  the  nation).  No  reference  is  made  to  this  in  the  notes,  since  the 
passage  has  obviously  become  mutilated,  and  Krochmal's  brilliant 
restoration  is  accepted  by  nearly  all  recent  critics. 

'  Reading  the  Hebrew  text  as  a  Waw  consec,  and  thus  bringing- 
it  into  harmony  with  the  perfect  tense  which  follows.  So  also  Oort 
and  Klostermann. 


ISAIAH  49.  6  157 

Gentiles,  that  thou  mayest  be  my  salvation  unto  the  end 

'And  now  saith  Yahweh, 

Who  formed  me  from  the  womb  as  His  servant, 
To  bring  back  Jacob  to  Himself, 
"And  Israel  will  I  gather"; 

And  I  have  received  honour  in  the  eyes  of  Yahweh, 
And  my  God  has  become  my  strength.' 

6.  This  verse  continues  to  unfold  Yahweh's  purpose  and  thought 
(expressed  by  the  word  '  said '),  and  constitutes  the  climax  in  the 
writer's  conception  of  Israel's  great  destiny  as  a  suffering  servant, 
which  becomes  subsequently  (lii.  13 — liii.  12)  more  fully  developed. 
We  follow  Dillmann's  interpretation  of  the  Hebrew  text : — 
'And  He  said  :— 

"Lighter  task  is  it  than  being  my  servant 

To  establish  the  tribes  of  Jacob, 

And  restore  the  preserved  of  Israel ; 

Yea,  I  will  set  you  as  a  light  to  the  Gentiles, 

To  be  my  salvation  as  far  as  earth's  end."  ' 

The  verse  is  certainly  complex  and  unwieldy  in  form.  Duhm 
would  relieve  it  of  the  clause  '  than  being  my  servant '  (literally, 
'than  thy  being  a  servant  to  me').  And  the  whole  verse  certainly 
flows  thereby  more  smoothly  : — 

'  'Tis  task  too  slight  to  establish  Jacob's  tribes. 
And  to  bring  back  the  preserved  of  Israel ; 
Yea,  rather  I  make  thee  a  light  of  the  Gentiles, 
That  my  salvation  may  be  as  far  as  earth's  end.' 
The   general    sense,    whether  the    clause    be    removed    or    not, 
remains  the  same  ^.     The  restoration  of  Israel  to  Palestine  from 
Babylonian    exile  had  already  been  foreshadowed  by  Jeremiah 
(xxxi.   2-5,  20-22,  xxxii.   14-15),  and  the  future  scheme  of  the 
restored  community  and  its  cultus  had  been  sketched  in  idealized 
details  by  Ezekiel  (xl-xlviii).     The  author  of  these  Servant-songs 
was  not  content  with  a  mission  for  God's  suffering  servant  Israel 
circumscribed   by  these   national   limitations  ;    Israel  was   being 
formed  by  past  chastisement  for  a  higher  task.     To  be  Yahweh's 
servant  meant  nothing  less  than  to  be  the  bearer  of  the  Divine 

^  It  can  hardly  be  said  that  the  LXX  help  us  much  to  a  correct 
sense,  or  text,  unless  it  be  that  the  word  diaairopdv  should  lead  us 
to  substitute  in  the  Hebrew  text  '2C2  ('  the  scattered  '),  or,  perhaps, 
as  Ottley  suggests,  nw  for  ■'T!?3  ('the  preserved').  LXX  render 
'  'Tis  a  great  thing  for  thee  to  be  called  my  servant '  (^jh^ii^n  his , 
which  looks  like  a  purposed  emendation). 


158  ISAIAH  49.  7,  8 

1  of  the  earth.]  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  redeemer  of 
Israel,  and  his  Holy  One,  to  him  whom  man  despiseth, 
to  him  whom  the  nation  abhorreth,  to  a  servant  of  rulers  : 
Kings  shall  see  and  arise ;  princes,  and  they  shall 
worship ;  because  of  the  Lord  that  is  faithful,  even  the 

8  Holy  One  of  Israel,  who  hath  chosen  thee.     Thus  saith 

light  to  all  the  nations  of  the  world  ^.     The  writer  had  drunk  deep 
from  the  wells  of  Amos  and  Jeremiah. 

Verses  7-12.  The  oracles  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  are  resumed,  but 
we  no  longer  remain  on  the  high  level  of  the  preceding  poem.  Dill- 
mann  remarks  with  truth  that  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah  we  do  not  hear 
again  of  the  illumination  of  the  Gentile.  At  all  events  the  thought 
is  not  made  explicit.  The  theme  of  the  following  verses  is  that 
humiliated  Israel  is  to  be  raised  to  great  glory  and  restored  from 
the  land  of  exile  to  his  own  country.  The  metre  of  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  is  resumed.  We  have  two  long-line  quatrains,  each  long 
line  falling  into  two  parts  : — 

7.  'Thus  saith  Yahweh — Redeemer  of  Israel,  his  Holy  One, 
To  one  despised  of  souls,  to  one  loathed  of  nations— to  a  slave  of 

rulers, 
Kings  shall  see  (thee)  and  rise  up — princes,  and  shall  bow  them- 
selves down, 

^  It  is  Giesebrecht  who  here  manipulates  the  evidence  in  order  to 
suit  the  exigencies  of  a  theory.  For  the  text  as  it  stands  in  verses 
5,  6  (including  '  than  being  my  servant ')  is  fatal  to  the  identification 
of  the  servant  in  the  Servant-passages  with  empirical  Israel.  Even 
Giesebrecht's  elimination  of  the  clause  in  verse  5,  *  to  restore  Jacob 
to  Himself,'  &c.,  for  which  LXX  give  him  no  warrant,  does  not  get 
rid  of  all  difficulties.  In  verse  6  it  is  quite  evident  to  the  unbiassed 
student  that  the  establishment  of  Jacob's  tribes,  and  the  restoration 
of  Israel's  preserved  (or  probably  we  should  read  *  dispersed ')  race, 
is  actually  regarded  as  an  ultimate  but  quite  subsidiary  purpose  of 
the  servant's  commission.  That  commission  is  directed  to  the 
Gentiles.  Here  we  see  the  divergence  between  the  Deutero-Isaiah, 
who  thought  of  little  else  but  the  restoration  to  Zion,  and  his  great 
teacher  and  predecessor.  The  'Servant'  here  is  the  purified  and 
ennobled  Jewish  remnant,  whose  mission  is  to  the  Gentile  world  first, 
and  to  his  Jewish  and  Israelite  (Ephraimite)  countrymen  last. 
See  Giesebrecht's  Der  Knecht  Jahves,  pp.  41-6,  and  the  clear 
and  able  but  inconclusive  note  by  Dr.  Peake,  Problem  of  Suffering, 
pp.  46  following. 


ISAIAH  49.  9,  lo  159 

the  Lord,  In  an  acceptable  time  have  I  answered  thee, 
and  in  a  day  of  salvation  have  I  helped  thee :  and  I  will 
preserve  thee,  and  give  thee  for  a  covenant  of  the  people, 
to  raise  up  the  land,  to  make  them  inherit  the  desolate 
heritages ;  saying  to  them  that  are  bound,  Go  forth ;  to  9 
them  that  are  in  darkness,  Shew  yourselves.  They  shall 
feed  in  the  ways,  and  on  all  bare  heights  shall  be 
their  pasture.  They  shall  not  hunger  nor  thirst;  neither  10 
shall  the  heat  nor  sun  smite  them  :  for  he  that  hath 
mercy  on  them  shall  lead  them,  even  by  the  springs  of 


Because  of  Yahweh  who  is  faithful — the  Holy  One  of  Israel  that^ 

hath  chosen  thee.' 
Here  the  rendering  '  despised '  corresponds  to  a  slight  alteration 
of  the  hardly  intelligible  form  of  our  Hebrew  text.     The  despised 
and  loathed  people  is  to  be  honoured  by  kings. 

8.  '  Thus  saith  Yahweh  .  .  . 

'•  In  a  time  of  favour  do  I  answer  thee  and  in  the  day  of  victory  do 

I  help  thee."  ' 
The  first  line  of  this  second  quatrain  is  defective.  Doubtless  the 
latter  part  of  the  long  line,  which  has  been  lost,  contained  epithets 
of  Yahweh  analogous  to  those  of  the  first  line  of  the  preceding 
quatrain  (verse  7),  which  likewise  opens  with  the  formula  :  *  Thus 
saith  Yahweh.' 

The  *  time  of  favour '  means  the  time  when  God's  compassion 
and  deliverance  of  His  people  begins  to  dawn. 
'  And  will  form  and  make  you — a  covenant-people — 
To  estabUsh  the  land— to  cause  desolated  heritages  to  be  inherited.' 

Respecting  the  covenant-people,  see  xlii.  6  and  notes. 

9.  The  expression  saying  continues  the  address  of  Yahweh  to 
the  exiles.  Probably  we  ought  to  follow  the  LXX  and  restore 
the  preposition  '  all '  before  '  the  ways,'  and  also  the  rhythmic 
balance  of  the  parallel  clauses  : 

'  Upon  all  ways  let  them  feed — on  all  bare  hills  be  their  pasture.' 

10.  The  word  rendered  here  heat  we  should  translate  'glowing 
sand,'  as  in  xxxv.  7.     The  heat  which  overpowers  the  traveller  in 


^  Literally,  'and  he  hath  chosen  thee/  which  is  equivalent  to  a 
relative  or  attributive  clause.  Students  of  Hebrew  will  consult" 
Gesenius-Kautzsch's,  Hehreisi  Grammar,  26th  ed.  §  iii.  4  q. 


i6o  ISAIAH  49.  ii,  12 

11  water  shall  he  guide  them.     And  I  will  make  all  my 
mountains  a  way,  and  my  high  ways  shall  be  exalted. 

12  Lo,  these  shall  come  from  far:  and,  lo,  these  from  the 
north  and  from  the  west;   and  these  from  the  land  of 

the  desert  not  only  comes  from  the  sun  but  is  reflected  from  the 
sands.  The  rendering  •  mirage '  (based  on  the  Arabic)  does  not 
fit  either  passage.     See  note  on  xxxv.  7. 

11.  The  language  reminds  us  of  xl.  4^. 

12.  The  land  of  Sinim  has  been  a  fruitful  source  of  specula- 
lion.  Interpreters  who  seek  to  locate  this  region  appear  to 
have  looked  towards  the  east  because  the  north  has  already 
been  mentioned,  and  also  the  west  (expressed  in  the  original  by 
'  sea/  i.  e.  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  which  lay  west  to  a  Jew).  In 
contrast  to  the  west,  the  east  naturally  suggested  itself,  and  the 
LXX  identified  the  land  with  Persia.  Moreover,  Chinese  scholars 
such  as  Victor  von  Strauss-Torney  (in  his  Excursus  contributed  to 
Delitzsch's  commentary  on  Isaiah,  3rd  German  ed.,  pp.  688  foil.) 
have  laboured  to  identify  the  land  with  China.  But  there  are 
phonetic  difficulties  in  identifying  Sinim  with  China  on  account 
of  the  initial  sibilant,  which  ought  rather  to  be  S  (ts)  than 
simply  S.  There  is  also  an  antecedent  improbability  that  China 
was  within  the  horizon  of  a  Jew's  (or  indeed  any  Semite's) 
geographical  knowledge  at  this  time.  There  is  no  hint  of  it  in  the 
tables  of  races  (Gen.  x,  xi),  or  in  the  long  and  minute  catalogue 
in  Ezek.  xxvii,  which  probably  represents  the  extent  of  the 
geographical  world  with  which  the  Deutero-Isaiah's  immediate 
predecessor  was  conversant.  Nor  have  cuneiform  data  led  us  to 
the  conclusion  that  China  came  within  the  Babylonian  field  of 
vision. 

Accordingly  we  are  led  to  regard  favourably  the  identification 
of  this  name  with  Syene^  (the  modern  Assouan).    The  emendation 

^  In  verse  11,  the  latter  part  of  the  long  line,  'and  my  high  ways 
shall  be  exalted/  forms  a  natural  complement  to  the  former,  but 
seems  to  be  metrically  too  short.  The  LXX  render  this  latter  portion  : 
'  and  [I  will  make]  every  high  way  a  pasture  for  them.' 

'■^  This  is  rendered  all  the  more  probable  because  it  is  twice 
mentioned  by  Ezekiel  (xxix.  lo,  xxx.  6,  nop),  in  his  prophecies 
on  Egypt.  In  both  these  passages  the  LXX  correctly  reproduce 
the  name.  Accordingly  the  slight  mutilation  of  our  text  in  Isa.  xlix. 
12  must  have  taken  place  in  early  times  (i.e.  D':"iD  into  D''3'd).  Both 
the  Targum  and  Vulgate  were  on  the  right  track  in  placing  the  land 
of  Sinim  in  the  south. 


ISAIAH  49.  13,  14  161 

Sinim.     Sing,  O  heavens;  and  be  joyful,  O  earth;  and  13 
break  forth  into  singing,  O  mountains  :    for  the   Lord 
hath  comforted  his  people,  and  will  have  compassion 
upon  his  afflicted. 

But  Zion  said,  Jehovah  hath  forsaken  me,  and  the  14 

of  a  single  character  in  our  text  which  this  involves  is  extremely 
slight.  This  identification  was  originally  made  by  Michaelis  and 
adopted  by  Doderlein,  and  it  has  recently  been  revived  by 
Klostermann  and  Cheyne,  Recent  discoveries  near  Assouan  have 
greatly  enhanced  its  probability.  Even  as  early  as  the  eighth 
century  we  learn  from  Hos.  ix.  3,  6  that  refugees  from  the  Northern 
Kingdom  found  an  asylum  in  Egypt.  The  number  must  have 
been  considerable  in  the  time  of  Isaiah  (xix.  19-22),  and  still 
greater  a  century  later  (Jer.  xlii.  14,  xliv).  Quite  recently  in 
Assouan,  where  a  considerable  Jewish  settlement  must  have 
existed,  a  large  number  of  papyri  have  been  discovered,  which 
are  nothing  else  than  Jewish  documents  composed  in  Aramaic. 
They  chiefly  consist  of  deeds  relating  to  property  and  marriage 
settlements  writtpr.jn  what  somewhat  resembles  the  square 
Hebrew  char^ccer.  As  the  documents  are  carefully  dated,  and 
contain  well-known  Hebrew  names,  like  those  of  the  exile  and 
post- exilian  period,  we  have  here  a  most  valuable  collateral 
testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  proposed  identification^.  Syenewas 
one  of  the  centres  of  the  Jewish  diaspora  in  Egypt  (cf.  another 
exilian  prophecy  parallel  to  this  in  xi.  11  foil.)  from  which  the 
exiles  were  to  be  gathered  to  the  homeland. 

13.  A  short  lyrical  passage  is  appended  as  in  xlii.  10,  11,  xlv. 
8,  xlviii.  20,  21.  In  character  it  most  resembles  xliv.  23— several 
of  whose  expressions  recur  here,  such  as  *  sing '  (properly  '  utter  a 
ringing  cry  '),  '  be  joyful  -  ('exult '),  and  '  break  forth  into  singing.' 

Verses  14-21  foreshadow  the  restoration  of  the  Zion- community 
and  the  increase  of  its  population,  A  poem  breathing  a  warm 
spirit  of  intense  sympathy  with  Zion  and  its  sorrows.  It  is  made 
up  of  long-lined  stanzas — each  line  consisting  of  two  portions. 
Apparently  there  wcie,  if  we  follow  Duhm's  arrangement, 
originally  six  stanzas,  one  of  which  (beginning  of  verse  19)  has 
lost  two  lines.  It  is  really  a  dialogue  between  Zion  and  her 
Divine  husband,  Yahweh. 

14.  Zion's  plaint  that  she  is  forsaken.  The  underlying  idea  is 
thoroughly  Semitic.      '  Sion  is  here,  as  in  xl.   i  foil.,  9  foil.,  the 

'  The  documents  date  from  471  to  411  B.C.  The  characters 
approximate  those  of  the  middle  column  (Aramaic- Egyptian)  in 
the  table  p.  503  in  Gesenius-Kautzsch's  Heb.  Gram."^^ 


i62  ISAIAH  49.  15-18 

15  Lord  hath  forgotten  me.  Can  a  woman  forget  her 
sucking  child,  that  she  should  not  have  compassion  on 
the  son  of  her  womb  ?   yea,  these  may  forget,  yet  will  not 

t6  I  forget  thee.  Behold,  I  have  graven  thee  upon  the 
palms  of  my  hands ;  thy  walls  are  continually  before  me. 

1 7  Thy  children  make  haste ;  thy  destroyers  and  they  that 

18  made  thee  waste  shall  go  forth  of  thee.  Lift  up  thine 
eyes  round  about,  and  behold  :   all  these  gather  them- 


actual  city  of  Jerusalem  which  is  conceived  of  as  a  woman  that 
should  have  or  bring  forth  children,  but  is  childless  and  barren. 
It  is  a  characteristically  Semitic  conception  that  it  is  not  the 
individuals  who  constitute  the  nation,  but  that  the  nation  or  town 
brings  forth  individuals.  It  is  likewise  an  ancient  idea  that  the 
exiles  when  withdrawn  from  the  tribe  are  no  longer  regarded, 
properly  speaking,  as  children  of  their  original  native  country, 
but  as  the  offspring  of  a  foreign  woman.  Zion  mourns  that  she 
is  abandoned  by  Yahweh  (cf.  xl.  27),  foij,^<^ten  by  her  Lord' 
(Duhm).     Cf.  1.  I,  liv.  6,  where  the  idea  is  more  f-'Hy- expressed. 

15.  The  reassuring  answer  of  Yahweh:  'More  faithful  and 
steadfast  is  my  love  than  even  that  of  a  mother  to  her  child.'  The 
meaning  is  quite  clear,  but  not  so  the  text.  *  Even  these  forget ' 
(or,  potential,  *  way  forget ')  is  a  change  from  the  singular  (womar ) 
in  the  preceding  clause  to  the  plural.  LXX  render  '  even 
a  woman  (some  MSS.  "mother'')  forgets  these.'  The  word  'these* 
in  our  text  is  emphatic.  Duhm,  following  the  hint  of  the  LXX, 
would  read  the  word  '  mothers '  in  place  of  '  these,'  and  render 
*  Even  mothers  may  forget.'  It  is  doubtful,  however,  whether 
any  change  in  the  Hebrew  is  needed. 

16.  A  powerful  metaphor,  Yahweh  has  inscribed  upon  His 
palms  the  image  of  the  ruined  Zion  soon  to  be  rebuilt ;  but,  as  the 
future  proved,  not  until  about  a  century  had  passed  by  (Ixii.  4-7  ; 
cf.  Neh.  i.  3,  ii.  3)  was  this  expectation  fulfilled. 

17.  The  reading  of  the  Hebrew  text  as  *  thy  builders  '  (rather 
than  'thy  sons')  is  demanded  by  a  considerable  consensus  of 
ancient  testimony,  viz.  the  versions  LXX,  Vulg.,  Targ.  It  is  also 
supported  by  Cod.  Babyl.  and  by  the  Jewish  interpreter  Saadiah. 
'  Thy  builders '  will  then  stand  in  suitable  contrast  to  '  thy 
destro^'^ers  and  desolators  '  in  the  clause  that  immediately  follows. 
It  is  not  till  verse  20  that  any  mention  is  made  of  Zion's  new 
offspring.     Cf.  Ixii.  5  and  note. 

18.  Already  the  future  inhabitants  of  Zion  come  streaming  into 
the  citj'  from  all  sides.     The    poet   uses  a  vivid   metaphor,   and 


ISAIAH  49.  19-21  163 

selves  together,  and  come  to  thee.     As  I  live,  saith  the 
Lord,  thou  shalt  surely  clothe  thee  with  them  all  as  with 
an  ornament,  and  gird  thyself  with  them,  like  a  bride. 
For,  as  for  thy  waste  and  thy  desolate  places  and  thy  19 
land  that  hath  been  destroyed,  surely  now  shalt  thou  be 
too  strait  for  the  inhabitants,  and  they  that  swallowed 
thee  up  shall  be  far  away.     The  children  of  thy  bereave-  20 
ment  shall  yet  say  in  thine  ears.  The  place  is  too  strait  for 
me  :  give  place  to  me  that  I  may  dwell.    Then  shalt  thou  2 1 
say  in  thine  heart.  Who  hath  begotten  me  these,  seeing  I 
have  been  bereaved  of  my  children,  and  am  solitary,  [an 

describes  these  new  inhabitants  as  a  bride's  ornament  wherewith 
the  bridal  city  is  to  be  adorned. 

19.  Probably  Duhm  is  right  in  holding  that  the  first  part 
of  this  verse  is  the  first  line  of  a  triplet  stanza  of  which  two  lines 
which  immediately  follow  are  lost : — 

*  For  thy  devastations  and  desolations — and  the  land  of  thy 
demolition 


The  closing  portion  of  the  verse  is  the  beginning  of  the  next  stanza 
of  three  lines,  which  are  complete  : — 

'  For  now  thou  art  too  narrow  for  thy  inhabitants — and  thy 
destroyers  are  far  removed.' 

The  first  portion  of  the  verse  seems  to  form  part  of  an  incomplete 
sentence,  and  the  latter  portion  does  not  naturally  follow  the  first. 
This  can  best  be  explained  by  assuming  that  one  or  more  lines 
between  both  have  been  lost. 

20.  The  children  (properly  'sons')  of  thy  bereavement  mean 
the  sons  who  were  born  to  thee  (i.  e.  to  Zion)  in  the  days  when 
thou  wast  childless,  i.  e.  the  returning  exiles. 

21.  Zion  is  astonished  in  these  latter  days  at  the  great 
accession  to  the  number  of  her  inhabitants,  and  exclaims,  '  Who 
hath  brought  forth  1  for  me  these  ?  seeing  that  I  am  childless  and 

^  The  verb  in  Hebrew  is  masc,  though  the  subject  is  obviously 
fem.  But  such  irregularities  of  concord  are  not  very  infrequent  in 
Hebrew.  There  is,  therefore,  no  strong  need  to  render  '  who  hath 
begotten  me  ...  '  with  R.  V. 

M    2 


i64  ISAIAH  49.  22 

exile,  and  wandering  to  and  fro]  ?  and  who  hath  brought 
up  these  ?  Behold,  I  was  left  alone  ;  these,  where  were 
they? 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  Behold,  I  will  Hft  up  mine 
hand  to  the  nations,  and  set  up  my  ensign  to  the  peoples  : 
and  they  shall  bring  thy  sons  in  their  bosom,  and  thy 

barren  [exiled  and  cast  away].  And  these,  who  hath  reared 
them?'  R.  V.  wanderingf  (A.  V.  'removing')  to  and  fro  is  an 
incorrect  rendering. 

These  verses  20,  21  are  best  understood  by  reverting  to  the 
custom  whereby  slave-girls — e.g.  Hagar,  Bilhah,  andZilpah — are 
employed  by  their  mistresses  when  barren  to  raise  up  offspring. 
Compare  with  this  passage  Sarah's  strange  remark  in  reference  to 
Hagar,  'Perhaps  I  shall  be  built  up  from  her'  (Gen.  xvi.  2  ;  cf.  xxx. 
3).  Zion  is  the  unfruitful  wife.  The  strange  woman  who  has  borne 
the  children  is  the  land  of  exile  in  which  the  Jewish  exiles  have 
grown  up.  The  words  enclosed  in  brackets  in  the  rendering  given 
above  are  absent  from  the  LXX,  and  are  due  either  to  the  gloss 
of  some  scribe,  or  more  probably  to  a  dittography  of  the  word 
translated  'barren,'  They  are  altogether  misleading  and  in- 
appropriate. For  Zion  could  not  in  any  sense  be  called  exiled  and 
cast  away,  since  the  term  Zion  can  only  denote  the  place  and  the 
inhabitants  who  are  in  the  place. 

'Where  were  they?'  (or  A.  V.  'where  have  they  been?')  is 
the  rendering  of  LXX  and  of  most  interpreters  ever  since,  includ- 
ing the  late  Dr.  Franz  Delitzsch.  Recent  expositors,  however, 
prefer  to  render  the  Hebrew,  '  How  is  it  with  them  ? '  i.  e.  of  what 
character  are  they,  are  they  actually  my  children?  So  Duhm, 
Dillmann,  Kittel,  and  others.  But  it  is  extremely  doubtful  whether 
the  Hebrew  interrog.  particle  here  bears  this  meaning,  and 
the  reference  to  Judges  viii.  18  (see  Moore,  ad  loc.)  is  fallacious. 
Accordingly  we  adhere  to  the  rendering  of  the  R.  V.  '  where  were 
they  ? '  i.  e.  what  was  their  place  of  residence  ?  Probably  nearly  all 
the  returning  exiles  had  been  born  and  bred  in  or  near  Babylonia. 
Zion,  the  old  and  now  bereaved  and  childless  mother-city,  does  not 
know  these  foreign-born  Jews  that  are  crowding  within  her 
borders. 

xlix.  22 — 1.  3  contain  three  short  oracle-poems  of  comfort  and 
reassurance  for  Israel.  The  metre  differs  from  the  preceding,  and 
no  longer  consists  of  the  long  lines  of  verses  14-21,  but  of  lines 
of  more  uniform  measure,  like  verses  1-13,  which  can  be  regarded 
as  single  lines  or  as  pairs,  i.  e.  distichs.     (Marti.) 

{a)  Verses  22,  23.     At  the  signal  of  Yahweh  the  nations  will 


ISAIAH  49.  23  165 

daughters  shall  be  carried  upon  their  shoulders.     And  23 
kings  shall  be  thy  nursing  fathers,  and  their  queens  thy 

carry  Zion's  children  back  to  her  and  do  abject  homage  to  her 
greatness.  Zion  shall  then  realize  the  might  of  Yahweh,  and  His 
faithful  followers  shall  no  longer  be  despondent  : — 

See  !    I  lift  up  to  nations  my  hand, 

And  to  peoples  I  hoist  up  my  banner, 

And  they  shall  bring  in  thy  sons  in  (their)  bosom, 

And  thy  daughters  shall  be  borne  on  the  shoulder.' 

The  spectacle  of  foreign  nations  at  Yahweh's  command  carrying 
the  exiles  back  to  their  old  land  and  city  affords  a  strange  contrast 
to  the  conception  of  the  Suffering  Servant  portra^^ed  elsewhere, 
more  especially  in  the  '  Servant-songs  '  ;  but  the  following  verse 
enhances  the  contrast.  This  powerful  figure  of  the  banner,  which 
is  Isaianic  (v.  26),  is  a  favourite  one  among  writers  exilian  and 
post-exilian  (xi.  10,  12,  xiii.  2,  Ixii.  10),  and  the  conception  of 
foreign  nations  carrying  Israel  back  from  exile  at  Yahweh's 
bidding  is  borrowed  by  the  Trito-Isaiah  (Ix.  4  foil.,  Ixvi.  12,  19,  2o\ 

23.  The  office  of  omeu,  rendered  nvirsing'  father^,  which  we 
might  translate  by  *  warder,'  and  somewhat  resembled  the  Greek 
7Tai5a7a/7os,  appears  to  have  been  a  recognized  position  in  princely 
families.  We  know  that  they  had  definite  duties  in  rearing  and 
training  the  royal  sons  in  Ahab's  court  (2  Kings  x.  i,  5).  The 
Hebrew  word  is  really  a  participle,  and  means  one  who  supports 
or  props  up.  Perhaps  the  original  function  of  the  omen  was  to 
support  or  carry  the  very  young  children. 

The  Hebrew  word  rendered  here  qtieens  properly  means 
•princesses,'  just  as  the  corresponding  masculine  word  (not 
employed  here)  means  in  Hebrew  '  captain '  or  'prince.'  But 
here  the  parallelism  clearly  shows  that  the  rendering  '  queens '  is 
correct.  Moreover,  the  corresponding  word  in  the  Babylonian 
language  means  *  queens  '  (just  as  the  corresponding  masculine 
sing,  means  '  king  ').  We  have  here  another  subtle  indication  of 
the  Babylonian  influence  over  the  writer. 

The  sentiment  of  the  passage,  describing  the  abject  homage  paid 
by  foreign  rulers  to  Zion,  stands  in  strange  and  dissonant  contrast 
to  the  high  ideals  of  the  '  Suffering  Servant.'  Duhm  is  so 
painfully  impressed  with  it  that  he  would  be  glad  if  it  were 
possible  to  regard  the  first  two  lines  of  this  verse  as  an  inter- 
polation. These  foreign  rulers  prostrate  themselves  in  reverent 
homage  to  Zion,  as  though  Babylon,  the  former  mistress  of  nations, 
and   Zion,    the   conquered  and   demolished  city,    had  exchanged 

^  This  rendering  appears  to  be  due  to  the  LXX,  tiOtjvgi. 


i66  ISAIAH    19.  24 

nursing  mothers  :  they  shall  bow  down  to  thee  with  their 

faces  to  the  earth,  and  hck  the  dust  of  thy  feet ;  and  thou 

shalt  know  that  I  am  the  Lord,  and  they  that  wait  for 

4  me  shall  not  be  ashamed.     Shall  the  prey  be  taken  from 


mutually  their  respective  roles.  Cf.  Mic.  vii.  17  and  Ps.  Ixxii.  9. 
•  Licking  the  dust  of  thy  feet '  (like  '  kissing  the  feet^')  was  the 
Oriental  expression  of  a  vassal's  homage.  We  constantly  meet 
with  it  in  the  Tell-el-Amarna  inscriptions,  in  the  series  ol  letters 
from  Abimelech  governor  of  Tyre  to  the  Egyptian  king  (about 
1400  B.  c.)  :  '  To  the  King,  my  Lord,  my  God,  my  Sun.  Thus 
doth  Abimelech,  thy  servant,  prostrate  himself  seven  times  and 
yet  seven  times  under  the  feet  of  the  King  my  Lord.  I  am  dust 
beneath  the  shoe  of  the  King,  my  Lord  ^.' 

(b)  Verses  24-26.  Israel  may  rest  assured  that  Yahweh  will 
not  fail  in  accomplishing  the  deliverance  of  His  people. 

24.  The  ordinary  formula,  '  thus  saith  Yahweh,'  followed  by 
the  ascription  to  Him  of  titles  such  as  '  Redeemer  of  Israel,'  '  thy 
Creator,'  &c.,  is  omitted  at  the  beginning  of  this  brief  oracle, 
Duhm  would  supply  it.  Not  infrequently  only  the  first  part  of  the 
opening  line,  '  Thus  saith  Yahweh,'  appears  in  the  text,  the  rest  of 
the  line  being  omitted  by  the  copyist.  A  considerable  amount  of 
uncertainty, both  as  to  text, meaning,  and  even  genuineness,  attaches 
to  this  verse,  (i)  LXX  evidently  pronounced  the  word  rendered 
'  is  taken  '  as  an  active  and  not  a  passive  form  :  •  Shall  one  take 
from  the  mighty  man  (lit.  giant)  spoil.'  This  is  quite  possible,  but 
not  so  probable  as  the  vocalization  of  the  Hebrew  text,  which  fits 
the  parallel  clause  better.  (2)  The  next  clause  in  the  original 
runs  thus:  *or  shall  the  captive  of  the  just  one  escape?'  This 
seems  to  be  the  only  possible  rendering  of  the  text  as  it  stands. 
Both  A.  V.  and  R.  V.,  'lawful  captive'  (plur.  in  R.  V.),  though 
supported  by  Hitzig,  is  hardly  possible.  The  R.  V.  (marg.)  is  on 
the  right  track,  'the  captives  of  the  just.'     But  the  word  'just' 

^  *  Kissing  the  feet'  is  a  phrase  that  constantly  recurs  ('  kissed  my 
feet ')  in  the  annals  of  the  Assyrian  kings  to  describe  the  homage  of 
foreign  conquered  potentates.  Cf.  Ps.  ii.  12,  and  Schrader,  COT., 
ii.  p.  155. 

^  See  Winckler  in  Schrader,  KIB.,  vol.  v.  Letters  149,  150,  151, 
152,  where  each  letter  opens  with  this  abject  formula.  As  a  pic- 
torial illustration,  the  visitor  to  the  British  Museum  should  examine 
the  relief  on  the  black  obelisk  of  Shalmaneser  II,  that  portrays  the 
Israelite  deputation  bringing  tokens  of  homage  and  gifts  to  the  Assyr- 
ian king.     The  foremost  figure  bows  himself  prostrate  to  the  dust. 


ISAIAH  49.  25,  26  167 

the  mighty,  or  the  lawful  captives  be  delivered  ?  But  thus  25 
saith  the  Lord,  Even  the  captives  of  the  mighty  shall  be 
taken  away,  and  the  prey  of  the  terrible  shall  be  delivered : 
for  I  will  contend  with  him  that  contendeth  with  thee, 
and  I  will  save  thy  children.     And  I  will  feed  them  that  26 
oppress  thee  with  their  own  flesh ;   and  they  shall  be 

seems  to  mar  the  parallelism.  It  hardly  corresponds  to  '  the 
mighty  men  '  of  the  preceding  clause.  Now  if  we  turn  to  the 
following  verse  we  are  supplied  with  the  adjective  that  probably 
stood  in  the  original  text  in  the  place  of  the  word  for  'just/  viz. 
the  word  rendered  '  terrible  one  *  in  the  R.  V.  (better,  '  violent 
one  '  or  '  tyrant ').  Accordingly  it  would  be  better,  to  substitute 
this  word  in  the  original.  It  might  easily  be  corrupted  into  the 
word  for  'just.'  This  emendation  is  supported  by  the  Peshitto 
(i.  e.  Syriac  version)  and  Vulg.,  and  perhaps  by  the  LXX.  There- 
fore render  :  '  or  shall  the  captive  of  the  tyrant  escape  ? '  (3)  Marti, 
on  the  other  hand,  adheres  to  the  text.  The  '  just  one  '  is  God,  and 
the  term  'mighty  one'  might  also  be  applied  to  Him  (cf.  ix.  6 
[Heb.  5],  '  Hero-God').  This  verse  he  holds  to  be  a  gloss  to  the 
following,  which  is  Deutero-Isaianic  and  begins  with  the  Deutero- 
Isaianic  formula,  '  Thus  saith  Yahvveh  '  (which  Duhm  would  place 
at  the  beginning  of  verse  24).  But  this  view  is  highly  unsatis- 
factory. Verse  24  is  a  necessary  predecessor  to  verse  25.  We 
have  here  an  argument  parallel  to  verses  14,  15  above.  Even  the 
will  of  the  strongest  human  despot  can  be  frustrated ;  his  captive 
may  escape  or  his  spoil  be  filched  by  another,  but  my  will  is  never 
frustrated  (cf.  xlvi.  10,  11): — 

25.         '  Even  the  captive  of  the  mighty  is  taken, 
And  the  spoil  of  the  tyrant  escapes ; 
But  with  thy  foe  'tis  /  am  contending. 
And  thy  sons  'tis  /  that  shall  save.* 

Q6  brings  this  sequence  of  thought  to  its  natural  conclusion. 
But  the  shrill  impassioned  note  of  a  vengeful  nationalism  that  meets 
us  here  and  so  frequently  in  the  Psalms  is  distressful  to  the 
Christian  consciousness,  and  marks  the  beginning  of  the  decline 
from  the  pure  and  serene  heights  of  the  '  Servant-songs.' 

them   that   oppress   thee   here   refer  to   the  Babylonians: 
cf.   xlvii.  6  (latter   part).     The  epithet  '  mighty  one  of  Jacob '  * 

*  This  epithet,  like  '  excellency  (or  *'  glory  ")  of  Jacob '  in  Amos  vl. 
S  (probably  Ephraimite  in  origin)^,  may  have  been  very  ancient. 
Barton,    in    his    Semitic    Origins,    p.    129,    compares    the    epithet, 


i68  ISAIAH  50.  i 

drunken  with  their  own  blood,  as  with  sweet  wine  :  and 
all  flesh  shall  know  that  I  the  Lord  am  thy  saviour,  and 
thy  redeemer,  the  Mighty  One  of  Jacob. 
60      Thus   saith  the   Lord,   Where  is  the  bill  of  your 
mother's  divorcement,  wherewith  I  have  put  her  away  ? 

meets  us  in  Ix.  i6.     The  '  sweet  wine '  (Heb.  'dsis)  means  here 
new  wine  or  must. 

Chapter  L. 

(c)  1-3.  The  third  oracle  of  comfort.  Zion  has  not  been  finally 
and  irrevocably  abandoned  by  Yahweh  as  though  she  had  been 
dismissed  with  a  bill  of  divorce,  and  the  children  sold  into  slavery. 
Yahweh  is  still  the  God  of  might  who  will  redeem  Israel. 

1.  The  first  Hne  of  the  strophe  is  once  more  defective.  '  Thus 
saith  Yahweh  '  is  all  that  stands  in  our  text.  Cf.  similar  defective 
lines  in  xlii.  5,  xlix.  8  and  22.  Duhm  thinks  that  the  last  portion 
has  been  misplaced  to  the  close  of  verse  26  owing  to  the  influence 
of  the  passage  in  Trito-Isaiah  Ix.  16,  where  the  phraseology  of 
xlix.  26  recurs.     Accordingly  he  completes  the  line  thus  : 

'Thus  saith  Yahweh  .  .  .  —[thy  Redeemer,  the  Mighty  One 
of  Jacob]  ' — 
the  portion  supplied  (in  brackets)  forming  a  metrical  superfluity 
at  the  close  of  xlix.  26,  but  a  metrical  aid  in  completing  the  line 
at  the  opening  of  chap.  1. 

The  customary  law  respecting  divorce  which  prevailed  in  Israel 
was  settled  in  the  Deuteronomic  legislation  (Deut.  xxiv.  i  foil.). 
It  was  based  on  the  old  Oriental  conception  of  wife-purchase 
(a  price  called  ntohar  being  paid  by  the  husband's  parents,  or  by 
himself  to  the  wife's  family ').  This  involved  the  absolute 
supremacy  of  the  husband.  Thus  it  was  only  the  husband  who 
gave  the  writ  of  divorce  to  the  wife,  not  vice  versa.  On  the  other 
hand,  this  writ  gave  the  woman  entire  freedom  to  marry  another. 

The  interrogative  form  of  the  sentence  is  often  employed  in 
Hebrew  as  a  rhetorical  mode  of  expressing  a  negative.  This  is 
the  actual  force  of  the  interrogative  here,  'Where  is  .  .  .?' 
[Nowhere].  The  idea  underlying  the  passage  is  that  Zion,  though 
not  finally  separated  from  Yahweh  by  a  writ  of  divorce,  is 
nevertheless  temporally  abandoned  by  Yahweh  during  the  exile 
period  when  her  children  have  departed  and  her  temple  has  been 

*  Strong  one  of  Riyam '  in  Mordtmann's  Hitnjarische  Inschriften, 
nos.  825,  826,  830,  &c. 

^  See  Hebrew  Antiquities  (Rel.  Tract  Soc),  p.   14,  and  on  the 

*  Writ  of  Divorce,'  p.  19;  cf.  Ewald,  Altertiimer,  p.  272. 


ISAIAH  50.  I  169 

or  which  of  my  creditors  is  it  to  whom  I  have  sold  you  ? 
Behold,  for  your  iniquities  were  ye  sold,  and  for  your 


destroyed.  The  conception  therefore  bears  a  close  analogy  to 
Hos.  iii.  4.  So  long  as  Israel  existed  as  a  state,  it  was  wedded. 
During  the  exile  Yahweh  no  longer  dwells  as  Israel's  husband  in 
Zion.  According  to  Iii.  8,  He  will  not  return  there  until  the 
people  have  been  redeemed  and  restored,  and  the  temple  in 
Jerusalem  rebuilt.  Meanwhile  He  does  not  forget  His  people 
(xlix.  14-16),  but  He  does  not  dwell  among  the  Palestinian  Jews, 
nor  among  the  Babylonian  exiles  or  other  portions  of  the  diaspora, 
but  in  Heaven  (cf.  xl.  22).  This  was  also  the  view  of  Ezekiei, 
who  held  that  after  the  capture  of  Jerusalem  Yahweh  withdrew. 
The  place  to  which  He  withdrew  was  the  sky,  which  in  the  first 
vision  (Ezek.  i.  i)  Ezekiei  sees  'opened,'  This  would  be  in 
accordance  with  Israel's  most  primitive  conception  of  Yahweh  as 
a  deity  of  the  sky  and  of  storm  ^.  Thus  in  Ezekiel's  vision  He  is 
portrayed  as  throned  on  Cherubim  and  surrounded  with  heavenly 
glory. 

which  of  my  creditors  is  it  to  whom  I  have  sold  you  ? 
again  anticipates,  like  the  preceding  interrogative,  a  negative 
answer  :  '  To  none.'  The  form  of  the  question  is  based  on 
ancient  Oriental  custom.  In  times  of  great  necessity,  which 
frequently  befel  the  peasant  during  the  ninth  and  eighth  centuries 
owing  to  the  power  of  the  rich  landowning  class  and  the  exigen- 
cies of  war,  even  the  children  might  be  sold  into  slavery  to  meet 
the  exactions  of  the  harsh  and  rapacious  creditor  (2  Kings  iv.  i  ; 
cf.  Amos  ii.  6,  viii.  6,  and  also  Isa.  v.  8;  Mic.  ii.  2)^  The  writer 
here  intends  to  convey  the  meaning  that  this  condition  has  no 
actual  existence.  Yahweh  has  no  creditor  to  whom  anything  is 
owing,  or  whom  He  cannot  pay.  Neither  has  He  formally  and 
finally  divorced  His  wife  (Zion),  nor  has  He  sold  through  dire  need 
His  and  her  children,  Accordingly  there  is  no  obstacle  to 
prevent  His  taking  wife  and  children  back  to  Himself.  It  is  true 
that  they  have  been  sold,  i.  e.  delivered  up  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy  (Hi.  3;  cf.  Judges  ii.  14,  iii.  8,  &c.),  and  the  mother  has 
been  abandoned  to  desolation  and  ruin  by  foes  (xlix.  21  ^,  but  the 
reason  for  this  consists  in  the  sins  and  rebellions  of  Israel- 
(cf.  Dillmann-Kittel), 


^  Cf.  vol.  i  of  this  commentary,  Introduction,  p.  51  footnote. 

-  Cf .  art.  *  Servant,  Slave,'  in  Hastings'  DB.,  vol.  iv,  p.  463  h,  and 
vol.  i  of  this  commentary.  Introduction,  p.  43. 

^  The  distinction  between  mother  and  children  consists  in  the 
association  of  motherhood  with  the  place  of  abode  (Zion). 


170  ISAIAH  50.  2-4 

-2  transgressions  was  your  mother  put  away.  Wherefore, 
when  I  came,  was  there  no  man?  when  I  called,  was 
there  none  to  answer  ?  Is  my  hand  shortened  at  all,  that 
it  cannot  redeem  ?  or  have  I  no  power  to  deliver  ?  Be- 
hold, at  my  rebuke  I  dry  up  the  sea,  I  make  the  rivers 
a  wilderness :   their  fish  stinketh,  because  there  is  no 

3  water,  and  dieth  for  thirst.  I  clothe  the  heavens  with 
blackness,  and  I  make  sackcloth  their  covering. 

4  [S.  The  Lord  God  hath  given  me  the  tongue  of  them  that 

2.  Assurance  and  comfort  are  mingled  with  reproach  for  lack 
of  faith  and  courage.  There  is  no  lack  of  power  and  readiness  to 
save  on  God's  part.  Through  His  prophet  (the  Deutero-Isaiah) 
He  has  come  and  called,  but  there  is  no  response.  Can  it  be 
that  His  people  doubts  His  power  to  save?  In  this  verse  the 
writer  becomes  reminiscent  of  Israel's  past  deliverances — more 
especially  does  he  single  out  the  scenes  and  events  accompanying 
the  Exodus.  For  stinketh  read  another  Hebrew  word  which 
closely  resembles  that  which  is  rendered  '  stinketh '  (tib^ash),  viz. 
tibash,  which  means  '  is  dried  up  '  (LXX).    Cf.  Ex.  xiv.  i6,  21,  22. 

3.  Another  manifestation  of  Divine  power,  this  time  directed 
against  Israel's  enemies.  The  skies  are  clothed  with  a  gloom 
that  is  funereal.  Sackcloth  as  the  outer  expression  of  grief  or 
humiliation  (often  with  dust  on  the  head)  is  frequent  in  O.  T. 
(Dan.  ix.  3  ;  2  Sam.  iii.  31  ;  i  Kings  xx.  32  ;  Isa.  iii.  24,  xv.  3, 
xxii.  12  ;  Jer.  iv.  8,  vi.  26,  xlix.  3,  &c.%  Here  again  we  have  an 
allusion  to  the  scenes  of  the  Exodus,  Ex.  xiv.  20. 

Verses  4-9  form  the  third  of  the  series  of  '  Servant-songs.''  It 
consists  of  three  stanzas  of  four  long  elegiac  lines  each,  and 
obviously  bears  no  relation  to  the  verses  that  precede,  while  it  is 
no  less  clear  that  the  verse  which  immediately  follows  is  intended 
to  be  a  pendant  to  it  and  calls  attention  to  its  contents.  Here 
again,  as  in  xlix.  1-6,  the  preceding  *  Servant-song,'  the  servant 
speaks,  and  we  should  probably  be  right  in  assuming  that  here, 
as  there,  he  speaks  to  the  *  foreign  nations  afar'  (xlix.  i). 

4.  tixe  tongue  of  them  that  are  taugrht :  lit.  '  a  tongue  of 
disciples'  (so  R.  V,  marg.) — disciples  who  themselves  aspire  to  be 
teachers  (Dillmann-Kittel).  The  second  line  of  this  stanza  is  very 
uncertain.  The  word  rendered  sustain  (on  the  authority  of  Aq. 
and  Vulg.)  has  no  parallel  bearing  this  meaning  in  the  O.  T.  The 
same  form  in  other  passages  bears  a  very  different  sense.  It  has 
therefore  been  naturally  suspected  as  a  corruption,  and  this  view  is 
confirmed  by  the  LXX,  which  had  another,  not  dissimilar,  form  in 


ISAIAH   50.  5,  6  171 

are  taught,  that  I  should  know  how  to  sustain  with  words 
him  that  is  weary  :  he  wakeneth  morning  by  morning,  he 
wakeneth  mine  ear  to  hear  as  they  that  are  taught.     The  5 
Lord  God  hath  opened  mine  ear,  and  I  was  not  rebellious, 
neither  turned  away  backward.     I  gave  my  back  to  the  6 
smiters,  and  my  cheeks  to  them  that  plucked  off  the  hair  : 

their  text,  'in  its  own  (proper;  time.'  The  rendering  of  this 
version  is  :  '  The  Lord  gives  me  a  tongue  of  wisdom  to  know  at  the 
right  time  when  to  speaic  a  word.'  The  emendations  of  the  text 
which  have  been  proposed  are  endless,  and  we  will  not  confuse 
the  reader  by  setting  them  forth  in  detail. 

The  latter  part  of  the  verse,  as  it  appears  in  the  LXX,  is  un- 
intelligible. Our  Hebrew  text  has  evidently  been  obscured  by 
dittography  ^.  Duhm  endeavours  to  restore  the  rhythm  of  the 
elegiac  metre  {kitiah)  and  renders  : — 

'  At  early  morn  he  awakens  mine  ear — to  hear  as  disciples.' 

5.  We  here  see  a  higher  conception  of  the  ideal  servant  of 
Yahweh.  He  is  portrayed  as  sinless,  obedient  to  the  Divine  will. 
Far  different  is  the  conception  of  the  Servant  Israel  in  the 
Deutero-isaiah  in  xlii.  18-25,  the  portrait  of  no  mere  idealist. 

6.  Another  characteristic  trait  of  the  Servant-passages  which 
distinguishes  this  portraiture  from  that  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah — the 
submissive  patience  of  the  sufferer.  This  feature  will  attain  its 
climax  in  the  final  poem  of  the  series. 

Plucked  oif  the  hair  here  means  plucking  the  hair  of  the 
beard — a  mode  of  insult  practised  in  the  ancient  Orient  and 
not  unknown  in  Europe.  Compare  the  severe  treatment  by 
Nehemiah  of  the  Jews  who  married  wives  from  Ashdod,  Ammon, 
and  Moab  (Neh.  xiii.  25).  Even  ancient  Italy  gives  examples. 
Horace  may  be  held  to  have  understood  and  portrayed  the 
prevalent  habits  of  the  young  gamins  of  Italy  when  he  writes 
i^Sat.  i.  3.  133)  :— 

'vellunt  tibi  barbam 
lascivi  pueri,  quos  tu  nisi  fuste  coerces, 
urgueris  turba  circum  te  stante  miserque 
rumperis  et  latras.' 

^  The  repetition  of  phrase  seems  even  to  extend  to  verse  5. 
Duhm,  Marti,  and  Cheyne  are  agreed  in  cancelling  the  first  clause; 
so  apparently  Budde  (ZATW.  xi  (1S91),  p.  23S).  Verse  5  accord- 
ingly reads  :  — 

'  And  I  have  not  been  rebellious — have  not  backslided.' 


172  ISAIAH  50.  7-9 

7  I  hid  not  my  face  from  shame  and  spitting.  For  the 
Lord  God  will  help  me ;  therefore  have  I  not  been 
confounded :   therefore  have  I  set  my  face  like  a  flint, 

8  and  I  know  that  I  shall  not  be  ashamed.  He  is  near 
that  justifieth  me ;  who  will  contend  with  me  ?  let  us 
stand  up  together  :  who  is  mine  adversary  ?  let  him  come 

9  near  to  me.     Behold,  the  Lord  God  will  help  me ;  who 

*7.  The  consciousness  that  Yahweh  is  his  support  enables  the 
suffering  servant  to  endure  these  humiliations.  It  is  better  to 
regard  the  copula  in  the  original  as  adversative.  Translate  : 
'Nevertheless  (or  'yet,'  not  'for'  as  R.V.)  the  Lord,  Yahweh, 
helps  me — therefore  I  did  not  feel  put  to  shame.'  Instead  of 
feeling  keenly  sensitive  to  insult  and  reproach  '  I  set  my  face  like 
a  flint  ^  '  The  expression  is  closely  analogous  to  that  of  Ezek.  iii. 
8,  9,  where  the  prophet  is  strengthened  by  Yahweh  to  maintain 
a  stern  front  like  adamant  towards  his  countrymen. 

8.  The  servant's  sufferings  are  regarded  as  a  trial  in  a  court  of 
justice  in  which  God  supports  him.  So  sure  does  Yahweh's 
servant  feel  of  victory  that  he  is  emboldened  to  challenge  his 
opponents  to  a  contest.  Israel,  Yahweh's  servant,  can  safely 
leave  his  cause  in  God's  hands,  who  will  vindicate  his  right. 

'  He  who  vindicates  my  right  is  near,   who  contends  with  me  ? 

let  us  take  our  stand  together. 
Who  is  opponent  in  my  suit  ? — let  him  draw  nigh  unto  me.' 

9  continues  the  note  of  assurance  in  Yahweh's  moral  support 
in  the  struggle.  Here,  as  in  verse  7,  it  is  better  to  render  the 
Hebrew  imperfect  by  present  rather  than  future  tenses.  Accord- 
ingly translate  : — 

*  Behold  the  Lord  Yahweh    helps    me,   who   is  he    that   shall 
condemn  me^' 

^  The  word  here  rendered  'flint/  halldmish,  appears  to  be  the 
same  as  the  Assyrian  ehnehi,  a  precious  brilliant  stone,  probably 
a  diamond ;  one  among  the  seven  which  adorn  the  person  of  a  king 
or  god  (see  Delitzsch,  Assyr.  Handworterbuch) . 

^  The  reader  will  not  fail  to  compare  the  employment  of  this 
passage  by  St.  Paul  in  Rom.  viii.  31-39.  The  citation  in  verse  33  is 
strengthened  by  the  apostle's  appeal  in  the  preceding  verse  to  the 
fact  that  Yahweh  '  spared  not  His  own  Son,  but  delivered  Him  up 
for  us  all    (see  Sanday-Headlam's  Comm.  ad  loc). 

Here  again  we  note,  as  in  verse  i  (in  this  Isaiah  chapter),  that  the 
interrogative  is  a  rhetorical  form  of  expressing  a  negative,  viz.  '  none 
shall  condemn.' 


ISAIAH  50.  TO  173 

is  he  that  shall  condemn  me  ?   behold,  they  all  shall  wax 
old  as  a  garment;  the  moth  shall  eat  them  up.] 

Who  is  among  you  that  feareth  the  Lord,  that  obeyeth  10 
the  voice  of  his  servant?  he  that  walketh  in  darkness,  and 
hath  no  light,  let  him  trust  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 

For  wax  old  substitute  'perish' or  'decay*  ('fall  to  pieces '). 
The  Deutero-Isaiah  repeats  this  phraseology  of  the  decaying 
garment  and  the  moth-eaten  fabric  in  li.  6,  8.  Cf.  Hos.  v.  12  ; 
Job  xiii.  28  ;  Ps.  xxxix.  11  [12  Heb.],  cii.  26  [27  Heb,]. 

10  is  a  natural  transition  from  the  poem  cited  by  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  to  that  writer's  own  application  of  the  words  to  his  con- 
temporaries. The  first  clause  might  be  regarded  as  an  appeal  to 
pious  Jews,  the  latter  as  referring,  though  not  directly  addressed, 
to  heathen  (or  lapsed  Jews)  who  have  walked  in  the  darkness 
of  polytheism.  This  would  certainly  be  in  accordance  with  the 
high  ideal  and  prevailing  spirit  of  the  writer  of  the  Servant- 
passages  (cf.  Introduction  to  this  vol.,  p.  22  foil.). 

On  the  other  hand,  Duhm,  Marti,  and  Cheyne  regard  both  this 
and  the  following  verse  as  a  later  addition.  Duhm  holds  that  they 
both  come  from  the  editor's  hand,  as  we  have  already  seen  to 
have  been  the  case  in  the  insertions  of  chap,  xlviii.  In  our 
opinion  this  view  has  no  cogency  whatever  when  applied  to 
verse  10,  but  only  to  verse  11.  In  verse  10  there  is  an  evident 
transition.  The  servant  no  longer  speaks  in  the  first  person,  but 
is  spoken  of  in  the  third  ;  yet  the  reference  to  the  preceding 
Servant-poem  is  obvious.  We  have  already  an  analogous  case 
in  xlii.  5,  6,  which  stand  related  to  the  preceding  '  Servant- 
passage  '  and  deal  with  a  similar  theme.  Like  xlii.  5,  6,  this 
verse  comes  from  the  Deutero-Isaiah.  Dillmann-Kittel  rightly 
assert  that  neither  language  nor  contents  furnish  any  argument 
against  this  view.  Moreover  li.  i  follows  1.  10  in  more  natural 
sequence. 

The  opening  of  the  verse  should  be  rendered  thus :  ^  Whosoever^ 
among  you  feareth  Yahweh — let  him  hearken  to  His  servant's 
voice.'  This  involves  a  very  slight  emendation  of  the  Hebrew  text, 
which  thus  reads,  Met  him  hearken'  (as  the  LXX  evidently  read 
in  their  original).  This  stands  in  parallelism  with  the  following 
clause,  which  also  begins  with  a  relative  : — 

'Whoso  hath  walked  in  darkness— and  hath  not  a  gleam  of  light, 
Let  him  trust  in  Yahweh's  name — and  lean  upon  his  God.' 

*  The  Hebrew  student  in  reference  to  this  use  of  the  Hebrew  in- 
terrogative will  consult  Davidson,  Heb.  Syntax,  §  8,  and  refer  to 
Judges  vii.  3;   Exod.  xxxii.  26. 


174  ISAIAH  50.  u— 51.  i 

11  and  stay  upon  his  God.  [Behold,  all  ye  that  kindle  a  fire, 
that  gird  yourselves  about  with  firebrands  :  walk  ye  in  the 
flame  of  your  fire,  and  among  the  brands  that  ye  have 
kindled.  This  shall  ye  have  of  mine  hand ;  ye  shall  lie 
down  in  sorrow.] 

51      Hearken  to  me,  ye  that  follow  after  righteousness,  ye 

H.  A  verse  of  very  different  spirit  and  alien  to  the  thought  of 
the  chapter.  We  are  reminded  of  the  bitter  tone  of  the  editorial 
comments  to  chap,  xlviii.  This  verse  evidently  comes  from  the 
same  hand.  It  is  a  final  redactional  addition  like  xlviii.  22,  and  is 
addressed  by  Yahweh  to  the  apostates  of  a  later  time. 

The  Hebrew  verbal  form  translated  'gird  yourselves  about  v^^ith' 
is  obviously  inappropriate,  and  has  been  rightly  suspected  as  a 
corruption.  The  slight  emendation  proposed  by  Seeker  is  based 
on  the  rendering  of  the  Peshitto  (Syriac)  version,  and  has  been 
adopted  by  Oort,  Duhm,  and  other  critics.  Accordingly  render  : — 
*  See  all  of  you  that  kindle  a  fire — set  brands  alight. 

Enter  the  flame  of  your  fire— and  the  brands  ye  have  set 
a-burning ! ' 
The  word  here  translated  kindle  is  characteristic  of  later 
Hebrew.  It  occurs  in  Trito-Isaiah  (Ixiv.  i),  and  in  Jer.  xvii.  4 
(which  is  held  by  recent  critics  to  be  late — see  Cornill).  The 
concluding  sentence  reminds  us  of  the  stern  spirit  of  xlviii.  22  : — 

'  From  my  hand  hath  this  come  upon  you — in  the  place  of  tor- 
ment shall  ye  lie  ! '  (Cf.  Ixvi.  24.) 

Chapter  LI. 

Verses  1-8  are  a  highly  poetical  and  inspiring  poem  announcing 
the  near  approach  of  Yahweh's  deliverance,  and  the  extension  of 
His  rule  over  the  world.  Once  more  we  have  the  elegiac  measure, 
and  the  poem  is  distributed  into  five  stanzas  of  four  long  lines 
each,  all  of  which,  except  the  defective  second  stanza,  begin  with 
an  imperative. 

1,  2.  We  have  in  the  opening  verses  a  characteristic  trait  of 
exilian  and  later  Hebrew  poetrj' — reminiscences  of  early  patriarchal 
history  \     The    example   of  the   aged  Abraham  and  the    barren 


*  'Whence  ye  were  hewn  .  .  .  whence  ye  were  digged.'  On  the 
elliptical  construction  of  these  relative  clauses  in  the  original  the 
f^tudent  of  Hebrew  will  consult  Gesen.-Kautzsch,  Heb.  Gram.-^\ 
§  T55  k.  The  word  for  'pit'  in  the  original  {bSr)  seems  metrically 
redundant  in  the  second  or  shorter  portion  of  the  line.  Duhm  and 
Marti  would  reject  it. 


ISAIAH  51.  2,3  175 

that  seek  the  Lord  :  look  unto  the  rock  whence  ye  were 
hewn,  and  to  the  hole  of  the  pit  whence  ye  were  digged. 
Look  unto  Abraham  your  father,  and  unto  Sarah  that  2 
l)are  you :  for  when  he  was  but  one  I  called  him,  and  I 
blessed  him,  and  made  him  many.  For  the  Lord  hath  3 
comforted  Zion  :  he  hath  comforted  all  her  waste  places, 
and  hath  made  her  wilderness  like  Eden,  and  her  desert 
like  the  garden  of  the  Lord  ;  joy  and  gladness  shall  be 
found  therein,  thanksgiving,  and  the  voice  of  melody. 


Sarah,  who  became  the  parents  of  a  great  nation,  is  here  adduced 
as  an  encouragement  to  faith  and  hope.  Cf.  in  N.  T.  Matt.  iii.  9  5 
Heb.  xi.  12.  Render,  '  ye  that  pursue  after  the  cause  of  right,' 
i.e.  make  the  victory  of  the  right  cause  (-which  is  that  of  Yahweh's 
own  people)  your  quest.  Respecting  this  difficult  Heb.  word 
sedek,  here  to  be  rendered  '  right  cause  '  and  not  '  righteousness,' 
see  above  note  on  xlv.  13. 

There  is  no  need  to  assume  here  with  Duhm  mysterious 
references  to  ancient  myths  connected  with  hollows  at  Hebron. 
The  metaphor  is  that  of  a  quarry  from  which  the  building-material 
for  a  house  is  derived.  It  naturally  arose  in  the  mind  of  a  race 
that  called  a  family,  clan,  or  people  a  •  house '  (the  Arabs  call  it  a 
'tent,'  aht).    Cf  the  language  of  Sarah  in  Gen.  xvi.  2  (R.  V.  marg.). 

Verse  2  may  perhaps  be  based  on  a  literary  reminiscence  of 
Gen.  xii.  2  (J)  ^ 

3.  Evidently,  as  Duhm  correctly  surmises,  the  first  line  of  this 
second  stanza  has  been  lost  with  the  imperative  at  its  head.  To 
the  exhortation  of  this  lost  line  the  word  for  must  bear  reference. 

Tne  Perfects  hath  comforted,  &c.,  correspond  to  the  same  tense 
in  the  original.  Probably  they  should  be  regarded  as  perfects 
expressing  in  reference  to  the  future  certainty  or  assurance 
(Gesenius-Kautzsch,  Heb.  Gram.  ■^^,  §  106.  3  b ;  Davidson,  Heb. 
Syntax,  §  41  {a)  and  (6)).  We  should  then  render  by  a  future  or 
a  present  tense  :    '  Yahweh  will  comfort  (or  cornforteth)  Zion.' 

Once  more  we  have  a  reminiscence  of  early  legend.  The 
references  to  Eden  and  Yahweh's  garden  suggest  an  acquaintance 
with  Gen.  ii.  8  (J),     That  Babylonia  was  the  original  home  of  the 


^  LXX  hover  between  '  loved  him  '  and  *  multiplied  him,'  i.  e.  as 
Ott'ey  points  out,  between  the  two  texts  "insav  and  'jnaiN,  of  which 
the  latter  is  undoubtedly  right,  IB  reads  the  first  and  ^5  A  Q  have  a 
conflation  of  both  reading-s. 


176  ISAIAH  51.  4,  5 

4  Attend  unto  me,  O  my  people ;  and  give  ear  unto  me, 
O  my  nation  :  for  a  law  shall  go  forth  from  me,  and  I  will 
make  my  judgement  to  rest  for  a  light  of  the  peoples. 

5  My  righteousness  is  near,  my  salvation  is  gone  forth,  and 
mine  arms  shall  judge  the  peoples;  the  isles  shall  wait  for 


legend  may  be  shown  from  numerous  indications,  and  this  fact  may 
have  stimulated  the  allusion  here  '.     Cf.  also  Ezek.  xxviii.  13. 

Verses  4,  5  announce  the  spread  of  the  religion  of  Yahweh  to 
the  end  of  the  world.  This,  according  to  the  writer  of  the  Servant- 
songs  (xlix.  6),  was  to  be  Israel's  main  function  as  Yahweh's 
servant.  The  Deutero-Isaiah  here  reproduces  the  lesson.  The 
address  is  now  specially  made  to  the  people^  not  merely  to 
Yahweh's  faithful  followers  (verse  i). 

4.  The  text  of  the  close  of  this  verse  probably  needs  amending. 
Two  indications  point  in  this  direction,  (i)  The  Hebrew  verb 
*  I  will  make  ...  to  rest,'  which  stands  at  the  close  of  verse  4  in 
our  Hebrew  text,  is  differently  read  in  the  LXX,  and  is  placed  at  the 
beginning  of  the  following  verse.  (2)  The  latter  portion  of  this 
elegiac  line  in  verse  4  is  metrically  too  long  in  our  Hebrew  text.  It 
would  therefore  be  safer  to  follow  the  guidance  of  the  LXX  and 
render  the  closing  line  : — 

*  For  instruction   shall  go  forth   from   me — and   my  judgment 
as  a  light  for  nations.' 

5.  The  opening  of  this  verse  will  then  read  : — 

'In  a  moment'^  my  vindication  is  nigh — my  victory  has  gone 
forth.' 

The  word  here  rendered  'vindication  '  is  the  Heb.  sedek  =■'' xx^X,'' 
but  used  frequently  in  the  pregnant  sense  of  victory  of  the  nght 
cause,  as  the  parallelism  clearly  shows,  where  the  word  rendered 
above  '  salvation  '  may  be  appropriately  expressed  by  '  victory ' ; 
see  above  note  on  verses  i,  2  and  xlv.  13.  The  verb  translated 
'  gone  forth  '  is  often  employed  to  express  the  rising  of  the  sun 
(Gen.   xix.   23;   Ps.  xix.  6).     For  '  isles '  read  as  before  (xi.  11, 

^  Schrader,  COT.,  \,  p.  26  foil.;  A.  Jeremias,  DasA.T.  im  Lichte 
des  alien  Orients^  pp.  18S  foil.  Babylonia  was  the  land  of  pleasure- 
gardens.  See  art.  '  Garden,'  in  Er^c.  Bibl.  Instead  of  the  passive 
form,  "  shall  be  found,''  LXX  evidently  pronounced  the  form  as  active 
\Kal),  '  one  shall  find.'  This  obviates  the  grammatical  difficulty  of 
gender. 

^  Reading    s^na  (of.  liv.  7).     So  Oort  and  Ryssell. 


ISAIAH  5L  6.8 


177 


me,  and  on  mine  arm  shall  they  trust.  Lift  up  your  eyes  6 
to  the  heavens,  and  look  upon  the  earth  beneath  ;  for  the 
heavens  shall  vanish  away  like  smoke,  and  the  earth  shall 
wax  old  like  a  garment,  and  they  that  dwell  therein  shall 
die  in  like  manner :  but  my  salvation  shall  be  for  ever, 
and  my  righteousness  shall  not  be  abolished. 

Hearken  unto  me,  ye  that  know  righteousness,  the  7 
people  in  whose  heart  is  my  law;  fear  ye  not  the  reproach 
of  men,  neither  be  ye  dismayed  at  their  revilings.     For  8 
the  moth  shall  eat  them  up  like  a  garment,  and  the  worm 

XX.  6,  xxiv.  15,  xl.  15,  xli.  i,  5,  xlii.  4,   10,  12,  xlix.   i),  '  coast- 
lands ».' 

6.  A  sublime  conception,  reminding  us  of  xl.  6-8,  but  here  the 
comparison  is  not  between  God's  word  and  the  perishable  flowers 
and  grass,  but  between  the  Divine  achievement  of  salvation  and 
the  more  permanent  cosmic  elements  of  sky  and  earth.  Even  the 
latter  shall  perish,  while  God's  work  for  humanity  endures*. 

7.  The  word  here  rendered  men  is  a  term  (Heb.  e/idsh)  that 
expresses  man  in  his  weakness  and  limitation.  It  is  the  word 
translated  *  man '  in  the  first  clause  of  Ps.  viii.  4  (5  Heb.).  It  is  best 
represented  by  the  word  ^  mortals  '  (or  •  mortal '). 

8.  We  have  in  the  opening  parallel  clauses  a  pair  of  Hebrew 
synonyms  for  ^moth,'  for  which  our  language  does  not  provide 
equivalents.  Both,  however,  are  found  in  the  Semitic  languages, 
including  Assyrian,  •  There  are  many  species  of  the  Tineidae  or 
^'clothes-moths"  in  the  Holy  Land.    They  are  small  lepidopterous 

''■  Instead  of  '  Mine  arms  shall  jvidg-e  the  peoples '  LXX  have 
'  For  my  arms  shall  nations  hope.' — Obviously  the  latter  is  a  blunder 
involving  a  weak  repetition  of  phrase. 

"^  Something  in  the  way  of  reconstruction   of  text  in  this  stanza 
seems  needful,  if  metre  is  to  be  preserved.    The  words  'from  beneath' 
at  the  close  of  the  first  line  overweight  the  latter  part  of  the  line,  and 
might  be  rejected  as  a  gloss  (though  sustained  by  the  LXX).    FoUow-- 
ing  Duhm's  bold  reconstruction  verse  6  will  run  thus  : — 
*  Lift  up  your  eyes  to  the  heavens — and  look  on  the  earth. 
For  the  heavens  fly  in  tatters  like  smoke — and  the  earth  like  a  robe. 
The  world  shall  decay,  and  its  dwellers — shall  die  as  the  gnats. 
Yet  my  salvation  shall  abide  for  ever — and  my  justice  unbroken.' 
There  is  no  need  to  alter  the  last  word  in  the  verse  in  deference  to 
the  loose  rendering  of  the  LXX,  '  shall  not  fail.' 


178  ISAIAH  51.  9 

shall  eat  them  like  wool :  but  my  righteousness  shall  be 
for  ever,  and  my  salvation  unto  all  generations. 
9      Awake,  awake,  put  on  strength,  O  arm  of  the  Lord  ; 

insects  which  commit  immense  havoc  in  clothes,  carpets,  tapestry, 
&c.'  (Post  in  Hastings'  DB.)  Instead  of  'moth'  LXX  renders 
in  first  clause  *  time  '  (reading  'eth  for  'ash  in  the  original).  This 
breaks  the  parallelism.  The  parallel  in  the  second  clause  of  our 
R.  V.  *  worm  '  is  inadequate. 

Verses  9-n  are  an  appeal  to  Yahweh  to  display  His  power  as 
in  olden  times.  Verse  11,  though  it  fits  fairly  into  the  context,  is 
distinct  in  metrical  form  and  is  evidently  an  addition  by  a  later 
writer  borrowed  from  xxxv,  10,  where  it  is  not  only  metrically 
consistent  with  the  verses  that  precede  but  also  harmonious  in 
sense.  Chap,  xxxv  (like  its  predecessor)  is  evidently  late  and 
abounds  in  reminiscences  (cf.  vol.  i,  p.  347).  As  we  may  probably 
regard  that  poem  as  composed  not  much  earlier  than  400  b.  c,  we 
have  in  this  verse  an  indication  possessing  a  certain  evidential 
value  for  determining  approximately  the  date  of  an  early  redaction 
of  the  Deutero-  and  Trito-Isaiah  (xl-lxvi)  ;  see  below,  p.  238. 

9.  The  metre  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  preceding  poem,  i.  e. 
elegiac.  The  invocation  is  addressed  to  Yahweh's  arm  as  the 
embodiment  of  His  strength.  As  the  arm  in  Hebrew  is  feminine,  the 
personal  pronouns  in  the  original  are  feminine  also  (viz.  '  thou,' 
'  it ').  Put  on  is  in  the  original  literally  '  clothe  thee  with.'  This 
is  a  frequently  recurring  metaphor  in  the  O.  T.,  qualities  being 
materialized  as  apparel  or  armour.  Cf.  lix.  17  ;  Ephes.  vi.  14  foil., 
Col.  iii.  13,  14  ;  Isa,  lii.  i,  Ixi.  3,  Sec. 

We  have  here  a  deeply  interesting  survival  of  the  old  mythology 
of  the  Semitic-Hebrew  race.  These  reminiscences  (as  Cheyne 
has  pointed  out)  may  well  have  been  revived  by  contact  with 
Babylonian  traditions  in  Babylonia,  since  Babylonia,  preserved 
these  mythologies  in  their  fullest  and  most  elaborated  form. 
Rahab  corresponds  to  the  Babylonian  Tidmat,  the  dragon-goddess 
of  the  dark  chaotic  water-depth  who  was  smitten  by  Marduk,  god 
of  light.  Cf.  vol.  i,  p.  316  in  this  commentary  (note  on  xxx.  7). 
The  conflict  is  described  in  the  fourth  Creation -tablet,  lines  91  foil., 
cited  at  the  close  of  this  chapter. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  the  LXX  entirely  omit  the  clause  with  its 
mythological  reference  to  Rahab.  This  is  not  improbably  due  to 
the  scruples  which  influenced  the  Greek  translators,  and  led  them 
to  suppress  or  modify  anthropomorphisms  ^     A  comparison  with 

^  Riehm,  Einleitung  in  das  A.T.,  vol.  ii,  p.  486.  A  comparison 
with  Job  xxvi.  12  suggests  that  the  omission  may  have  been  due  to 
the  inability  of  the  translator  to  understand  the  original. 


ISAIAH  51.  JO  179 

awake,  as  in  the  days  of  old,  the  generations  of  ancient 
times.  Art  thou  not  it  that  cut  Rahab  in  pieces,  that 
pierced  the  dragon  ?  iVrt  thou  not  it  which  dried  up  the 
sea,  the  waters  of  the  great  deep ;  that  made  the  depths 

Job  xxvi.  12  indicates  that  the  slight  modification  of  the  Hebrew 
text,  proposed  here  by  Houbigant  and  favourably  regarded  by 
later  critics,  might  be  accepted.  We  should  then  substitute  for 
*cut  Rahab  in  pieces'  the  rendering  'shattered  Rahab  in  pieces^.' 
The  supposition  that  Rahab  merely  signifies  Egypt  and  expresses 
either  its  might  or  its  monarch  (as  in  xxx.  7,  but  not  necessarily  in 
Ps.  Ixxiv.  13,  Ixxxvii.  4,  Ixxxix.  10  [Heb.  11])  only  confuses  the 
passage,  though  the  following  verse  evidently  suggests  that  in  this 
passage,  as  well  as  in  the  later  Psalm  literature,  Pharaoh  and  the 
power  of  Egypt  were  represented  to  the  imagination  of  the 
Hebrew  under  the  form  of  the  monster  of  Semitic  legend.  For 
Rahab  Sit-stiil  (Isa.  xxx.  7)  read  Rahab  the  Vanquished {hammosh- 
bath),  based  on  the  most  probable  reading  of  the  Hebrew. 

10.  The  great  deep  is  an  expression  used  in  Gen.  vii.  ii, 
Amos  vii.  4  to  describe  this  vast  chaotic  water-depth  which  the 
Babylonians  personified  as  the  she-dragon  Tiamat.  This  dark 
water-depth  beneath  the  earth  was  connected  with  the  sea  or 
ocean  on  which  the  earth  was  conceived  to  rest.  See  the  diagram 
in  Hastings'  DB.,  article  'Cosmogony,'  vol.  i,  p.  503,  or  Bennett's 
Genesis  (Century  Bible)  p.  66. 

Old  mythology  here  is  blended  with  Israel's  early  beginnings  in 
history.  The  drying-up  of  the  waters  of  the  great  ocean  ('the 
great  deep')  must  be  connected  with  the  ancient  Semitic  myth  of 
the  struggle  between  the  God  of  light  (Heb.  Yahweh,  Babyl. 
Marduk)  and  the  dragon  of  the  dark  chaotic  water-depth  (Heb. 
Rahab,  Babyl.  Tiamat),  here  represented  by  the  'great  deep.' 
Amos  vii.  4  (eighth  century  B.C.)  takes  us  somewhat  nearer  to 
the  primitive  legend  where  Yahweh's  fire  is  conceived  as  burning 
up  the  great  deep.  The  Rahab  of  the  previous  verse  must  be 
connected  with  the  '  serpent '  who  inhabits  the  depth  of  the  sea 

^  On  the  other  hand,  when  we  turn  to  the  Babylonian  Creation- 
poem,  tablet  iv,  lines  135  foil. : — 
'The  Lord  [Marduk]  rested  .  .  .  regarding  her  (i.e.  Tiamat's)  corpse. 

Parting  the  carcase  .  .  .  forming  cunning  plans. 

He  hewed  her  to  pieces  like  a  fish  ...  a  flat  (?)  one,  in  two  halves ; 

From  one  half  of  it  made  and  covered  the  heaven ' — 
this  description  of  the  conflict  between  Marduk  and  Tiamat  and  the 
formation  of  the  sky  out  of  her  body  leads  us  to  consider  that  our 
Hebrew  te.xt  has  after  all  preserved  the  true  tradition. 
N  2 


i8o  ISAIAH  51.  ii-i3 

11  of  the  sea  a  way  for  the  redeemed  to  pass  over  ?  [And  the 
ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  return,  and  come  with  singing 
unto  Zion;  and  everlasting  joy  shall  be  upon  their  heads: 
they  shall  obtain  gladness  and  joy,  and  sorrovr  and  sighing 
shall  flee  away.] 

1 2  I,  even  I,  am  he  that  comforteth  you :  who  art  thou, 
that  thou  art  afraid  of  man  that  shall  die,  and  of  the  son 

13  of  man  which  shall  be  made  as  grass ;  and  hast  forgotten 
the  Lord  thy  Maker,  that  stretched  forth  the  heavens, 
and   laid   the   foundations   of  the   earth  ;    and   fearest 

to  which  Amos  ix.  3  refers.  The  sea-monster,  with  which  Yahweh 
comes  in  conflict,  became  connected  to  the  early  imagination  of  the 
Hebrews  with  the  hostile  power  of  Egypt  in  the  dim  past  of  their 
national  history,  and  the  struggle  with  Rahab  with  the  struggle 
with  Pharaoh,  the  great  dark  water-depth  with  the  Red  Sea,  and 
the  destruction  of  the  dark  water-depth  and  its  chaotic  power  with 
the  cleaving  of  a  passage  through  the  Red  Sea  'for  the  redeemed 
to  pass  over.' 

Verses  12-16.  The  answer  to  Israel's  appeal  in  the  preceding 
verses  to  the  mighty  Yahweh  of  the  olden  time  is  that  the  God  of 
love  is  mighty  still.  Why  does  the  exile  forget  Him  and  fear  the 
oppressor?    He  shall  be  set  free. 

12.  The  duplication  of  the  personal  pron.  here  is  characteristic 
of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  in  13'rical  passages  (cf.  '  awake,'  '  awake '  in 
verses  9,  17,  lii.  i  ;  'depart  ye,'  Hi.  11).  The  man  whom  Israel  is 
not  to  fear  is  man  in  his  weakness  ('mortal'),  expressed  in  the 
original  by  the  same  word  {enosh)  that  is  employed  above  in  verse  7. 
In  the  original  *  Who  art  thou  that  thou  shouldst  fear  .  .  .  ? '  is 
expressed  in  the  feminine,  and  this  is  supported  by  the  LXX,  who, 
however,  seem  to  have  followed  a  different  text.  It  is  obviously 
an  error,  as  masc.  forms  immediately  succeed  in  this  verse. 
Probably  the  scribe  was  misled  by  the  mention  of  Zion  in  the 
preceding  verse  (as  well  as  in  lii.  i)  into  supposing  that  it  is  Zion 
who  is  here  addressed. 

These  verses  evidently  belong  to  an  earlier  time  than  the 
downfall  of  Babylon,  when  the  Jewish  exiles  were  still  in  a  state 
of  trembling  uncertainty  and  were  in  dread  of  harsh  treatment  by 
the  Babylonians. 

13.  The  exiles  are  reminded  of  the  permanent  truths  of 
Yahweh's  universal  rule  and  creative  function,  which  they  have 
forgotten.  The  language  has  now  become  to  us  familiar  (xl.  22, 
xlii.  5,  xliv.  24,  xlv,  12). 


ISAIAH  51.  14-16  181 

continually  all  the  day  because  of  the  fury  of  the  oppressor, 
when  he  maketh  ready  to  destroy  ?  and  where  is  the  fury 
of  the  oppressor?   The  captive  exile  shall  speedily  be  14 
loosed ;  and  he  shall  not  die  and  go  down  into  the  pit, 
neither  shall  his  bread  fail.    For  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  15 
which  stirreth  up  the  sea,  that  the  waves  thereof  roar : 
the  Lord  of  hosts  is  his  name.    And  I  have  put  my  words  16 
in  thy  mouth,  and  have  covered  thee  in  the  shadow  of 
mine  hand,  that  I  may  plant  the  heavens,  and  lay  the 

For  when  he  maketh  ready  to  destroy,  render,  ^  as  though  he 
had  aimed  [his  arrow ^]  to  destroy.'  The  object  of  the  verb 
'aimed  '  is  not  infrequently  omitted  in  the  Hebrew,  as  in  Ps.  xxi. 
12  (13  Heb.).  In  Ps.  vii.  12  (13  Heb.),  and  more  especially  in 
Ps.  xi.  2  (3  Heb.),  we  have  the  fuller  form  of  expression. 

where  is  the  fury,  Sec.  ?   Again  a  rhetorical  interrogative,  to 
which  the  negative  answer  '•  nowhere  *  is  expected. 

14.  A  difficult  and  obscure  verse.  For  the  captive  exile  sub- 
stitute the  rendering  '  he  that  is  bent  (or  bowed),'  i.  e.  either  in 
his  confined  dungeon  or  in  the  constraint  of  his  chains.  The  verse 
seems  to  promise  only  speedy  release  and  freedom  from  starva- 
tion. The  LXX  appear  to  base  their  interpretation  on  a  much 
briefer  text,  quite  different  from  our  own. 

Verses  15,  16  have  been  regarded  by  recent  critics,  Duhm, 
Cheyne,  and  Marti  as  an  insertion.  Verse  15  appears  almost 
entire  in  Jer.  xxxi.  35  h,  but  that  cannot  be  regarded  as  a  proof 
that  it  is  not  Deutero-Isaianic,  as  it  is  notorious  that  there  are 
several  Deutero-Isaianic  insertions  in  the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah* 
and  we  are  disposed  to  regard  this  as  one  of  them  (so  also 
Giesebrecht  ad  he). 

15.  The  phrase  The  LORD  of  hosts  is  his  name  is  a  some- 
what favourite  formula  with  the  Deutero-Isaiah  :  cf.  xlvii.  4  [xlviii. 
2],  Hv.  5.  In  the  latter  part  of  this  verse  the  rendering  of  the 
R.  V.  stirreth  up  is  correct  (and  not  that  of  R.  V.  marg.).  The 
LXX  similarly  render  in  their  translation  of  the  Hebrew  participle. 

16.  Here  again  Deutero-Isaianic  phraseology  meets  us. 
'  Conceal  (cover)  in  the  shadow  of  Yahweh's  hand '  is  an  obvious 
echo  from  the  Servant-passage  xlix.  2.     Plant  the  heavens  is  a 

^  Or  perhaps  '  his  bow,'  as  in  Ps.  vii.  13. 

^  e.g.  Jer.  xxx.  lo,  11  (omitted  in  LXX),  and  its  duplicate  xlvi. 
27,  28. 


i82  ISAIAH  51.  17 

foundations  of  the  earth,  and  say  unto  Zion,  Thou  art  my 
people. 
17      Awake,  awake,  stand  up,  O  Jerusalem,  which  hast  drunk 

literal  rendering  of  the  Hebrew  original,  but  the  reading  can  hardly 
be  defended  by  the  arguments  which  Dillmann  employs.  Job 
xiv.  9  is  a  slender  ground  for  giving  the  Hebrew  verb  the  signi- 
fication here  'cause  to  grow  anew.'  The  only  safe  course  is  to 
follow  the  Peshitto  (S3''riac)  version  and  a  series  of  expositors, 
including  Lowth,  who  read  in  place  of  the  Hebrew  verb 
*  plant '  a  closely  similar  form  '  extend,'  '  stretch  out,'  often 
used  bj''  the  Deutero-Isaiah  in  describing  Yahweh's  creative 
activity,  i.e.  'stretching  out  the  heavens  "  (xl.  22,  xlii.  5,  xliv.  24, 
xlv.  12).  Similarly  '  laying  the  foundation  of  the  earth  '  is  another 
characteristic  expression  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  (xlviii.  13),  from 
which  it  has  passed  into  Psalm  literature  (Ps.  xxiv.  2,  Ixxviii.  69, 
cii.  25  [26  Heb.],  civ.  5). 

A  survey  of  these  three  verses  14-16  convinces  us  that  they  are  of 
Deutero-Isaianic  authorship,  but  they  have  become  mutilated.  In 
verses  15,  16  the  elegiac  metre  cannot  in  the  present  state  of  the 
text  be  recovered,  while  only  the  first  half  of  a  long  line  is  pre- 
served in  the  latter  part  of  verse  14.  The  connexion  of  the  clause 
'that  I  may  stretch  out  the  heavens,'  &c.  with  the  words  which 
precede,  and  are  evidently  an  address  to  the  servant  Israel,  is  ex- 
tremely forced.  The  expression  '  stretch  out  the  heavens,'  &c. 
(preceded  by  'I  Yahweh  .  .  .'),  probably  commenced  a  new 
sentence.  Subsequently  a  scribe  endeavoured  to  restore  the 
defective  text,  and  in  doing  this  gave  the  language  of  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  a  different  turn  whereby  it  expressed  the  conception  of  an 
impending  restoration  accompanied  by  a  new  heavens  and  earth 
somewhat  in  the  sense  of  the  Trito-Isaianic  passages  Ixv.  17, 
Ixvi.  22. 

li.  17 — lii.  12  is  a  poem  which  Duhm  arranges  in  five  strophes, 
each  strophe  consisting  of  seven  long  lines,  though  there  are 
gaps  in  our  text  as  well  as  insertions.  It  is  addressed  to  Jeru- 
salem lying  prostrate  in  humiliation  and  sorrow.  Her  sufferings 
are  described  in  pathetic  language,  but  she  is  told  by  Yahweh  that 
He  has  taken  up  her  cause,  that  her  sorrows  have  an  end,  and 
that  the  cup  of  humiliation  is  to  pass  from  her  to  her  foes.  She 
shall  arise  from  the  dust  and  be  clad  in  the  splendid  attire  that 
befits  her  coming  glory.  The  last  two  strophes  announce  the 
Jubilant  tidings  that  Yahweh  has  taken  compassion  on  the  ruined 
Jerusalem  and  will  return  in  power  to  reign  there.  The  poem 
closes  with  a  portra3'al  of  a  solemn  priestly  procession  in  which 
the    vessels  of  the    temple    [carried    off  by    Nebuchadrezzar   in 


ISAIAH  51.  i8  183 

at  the  hand  of  the  Lord  the  cup  of  his  fury ;  thou  hast 
drunken  the  bowl  of  the  cup  of  staggering,  and  drained 
it.    There  is  none  to  guide  her  among  all  the  sons  whom  i' 

597  B.  c]  are  borne  in  state  from  Babylon  to  Jerusalem.  The 
presence  of  Yahweh  precedes  the  procession  as  well  as  guards 
the  rear.  Again  in  this  poem  we  have  the  Kinah  or  Elegiac 
metre.     See  Budde  in  ZATIV.,  vol.  xi  (1891),  pp.  238  foil. 

First  Strophe  (verses  17-20).      The  forlorn  plight  of  Jerusalem. 

17.  The  rendering  of  the  reflexive  form  by  'Bestir  thyself  or 
'  arosue  thee  '  is  preferable  to  that  of  the  R.  V.  awake.  The 
translation  given  by  Duhm,  '  Be  of  good  cheer'  {ermuntere  dich)y 
is  too  weak  and  colourless. 

The  last  clause  of  this  verse  should  be  connected  with  the 
preceding  as  part  of  the  relative.  Moreover,  the  word  cup  (Heb. 
Kos),  which  is  not  found  in  the  LXX  version,  should  be  deleted. 
It  is  not  metrically  needed,  and  was  evidently  attached  as  a  gloss  by 
some  scribe  to  the  unusual  word  rendered  '  bowl.'  Bowl  of  tlie  cup 
is  an  intolerably  harsh  combination.  The  word  rendered  '  bowl '  is 
a  Babylonian  or  Assyrian  word  \  which  is  found  in  the  Black 
Obelisk  of  Shalmaneser  II  (in  the  British  Museum)  recording  the 
objects  brought  by  the  envoys  of  Jehu  king  of  Israel  as  tokens  of 
homage  to  the  Assyrian  king.  The  Hebrew  word  is  only  found 
in  this  chapter,  and  is  an  interesting  loan-word  borrowed  by  the 
Jews  during  their  stay  in  the  land  of  exile.  We  may  accordingly 
render  : — 

'  Who  hast  drunk  from  Yahweh's  hand — the  cup  of  His  wrath, 
Yea  the  bowl  of  reeling— hast  drunken,  hast  drained.' 

Human  lot  or  destiny,  whether  of  weal  or  woe,  is  constantly  ex- 
pre?sed  under  the  metaphor  of  a  cup  (e.  g.  Ps.  xvi.  5,  and  the 
v/ords  of  Jesus,  Mark  xiv.  36).  Probably  this  vivid  conception  of 
a  '  cup  of  reeling  '  bestowed  on  Jerusalem  was  borrowed  by  the 
Deutero-Isaiah  from  Jeremiah,  who,  like  Isaiah  of  Jerusalem, 
possessed  a  more  original  and  vivid  imagination  than  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah.  With  this  passage  the  reader  should  compare  Jer.  xxv. 
15  and  especially  17,  18,  also  xlix.  12.  This  vivid  conception  of 
Jeremiah  is  reflected  in  the  prophecy  of  his  younger  contemporary 
Ezekiel  against  Oholibah  (Jerusalem),  xxiii.  32-34. 

18.  Instead  of  being  addressed  in  the  second  person,  Jerusalem 

^  Schrader,  COT.,  vol.  i,  p.  199.  The  word  was  evidently  strange 
to  the  Jews  of  later  days.  For  not  only  have  we  the  explanatory 
gloss   of   our   Hebrew   text— but   in   the   LXX  we   have  another,  to 

KOV^V. 


r84  ISAIAH  51.  19,20 

she  hath  brought  forth ;  neither  is  there  any  that  taketli 
her  by  the  hand  of  all  the  sons  that  she  hath  brought  up. 

19  These  two  things  are  befallen  thee;  who  shall  bemoan 
thee  ;  desolation  and  destruction,  and  the  famine  and  the 

20  sword  ;  how  shall  I  comfort  thee?  Thy  sons  have  fainted, 
they  lie  at  the  top  of  all  the  streets,  as  an  antelope  in 
a  net ;  they  are  full  of  the  fury  of  the  Lord,  the  rebuke 


is  spoken  of  in  the  third.  In  this  respect  the  verse  is  entirelj'- 
isolated,  as  Jerusalem  is  once  more  addressed  in  the  second  person 
in  the  verses  that  immediately  follow.  But  it  is  isolated  also  in 
metre,  which  is  no  longer  elegiac,  since  the  two  long  lines  of  which 
this  verse  is  composed  consist  of  two  equal  parts  (instead  of  the 
longer  and  shorter  of  the  elegiac  measure).  Accordingly  there 
are  definite  grounds  for  regarding  this  verse  as  an  insertion  from 
another  source  (with  Duhm),  though  perhaps  they  are  inadequate. 

19  stands  in  close  sequence  to  verse  17.  The  disasters  that 
befall  Israel  are  declared  to  be  two.  But  in  the  immediate  sequel 
we  have  four.  These,  however,  may  readily  fall  into  two  pairs, 
viz.  desolation  and  destruction  on  the  one  side,  famine  and  sword 
on  the  other.  The  interrog.  who  is  the  rhetorical  mode  of 
expressing  a  negative.  The  answer  expected  is  '  no  one.'  Jeru- 
salem in  the  midst  of  her  disasters  (the  invasions  of  the  Baby- 
lonians in  597  and  587  b.  c.)  is  left  without  a  comforter. 

A  comparison  with  the  ancient  versions  (LXX,  Pesh.,  Vulg.,  as 
well  as  Targ.)  clearly  shows  that  our  Hebrew  text  needs  slight 
amendment.  '  Who  am  I  that  I  should  comfort  thee  '  (i.  e.  '  how 
should  I  comfort  thee'  ;  R.  V.  ' .  .  .  shall  I  comfort,'  &c.)  is  the 
rendering  of  our  traditional  Hebrew  text,  whereas  the  old  versions 
restore  the  parallelism  as  well  as  the  original  text  by  changing  the 
verb  from  the  ist  pers.  to  the  3rd  :  '  who  shall  (or  is  to)  comfort 
thee.'     So  Lowth  and  most  recent  commentators. 

20.  'As  an  antelope  of  a  net'  is  the  literal  rendering  of  the 
original,  which  is  equivalent  to  '■  as  an  antelope  caught  in  a  net.' 
The  expression  full  of  the  fury  is  a  recurrence  to  the  conception 
of  verse  17,  where  Jerusalem  has  drunk  of  Yahweh's  *  cup  of 
reeling,'  or  '  cup  of  His  fury.'  Of  this  the  sons  of  Jerusalem  have 
drunk  their  full.  The  phrase  at  the  top  (lit.  '  head,'  i.  e.  corner  1 
of  all  the  streets  overweights  the  metre,  and  Duhm  would  there- 
fore excise  it  as  an  addition  (borrowed  from  Lam.  ii.  19,  iv.  i  ;  so 
also  Budde).  The  verse  would  then  read  as  follows  : — 
'Thy  sons  faint  and  lie — like  an  antelope  in  a  net, 

Such  as  are  full  of  Yahweh's  fury-  the  rebuke  of  thy  God.' 


ISAIAH  51.  21-23  185 

of  thy  God.     Therefore  hear  now  this,  thou  afflicted,  and  21 
drunken^  but  not  with  wine:   thus  saith  thy  Lord  the  22 
Lord,  and  thy  God  that  pleadeth  the  cause  of  his  people, 
Behold,   I   have  taken  out  of  thine  hand  the  cup  of 
staggering,  even  the  bowl  of  the  cup  of  my  fury ;  thou 
shalt  no  more  drink  it  again :  and  I  will  put  it  into  the  23 
hand  of  them  that  afflict  thee;  which  have  said  to  thy 
soul.  Bow  down,  that  we  may  go  over :  and  thou  hast  laid 
thy  back  as  the  ground,  and  as  the  street,  to  them  that  go 
over. 

Second  Strophe  (verses  21-23).  Yahweh's  announcement  that 
affliction  shall  pass  away  frot^n  Jerusalem  to  her  foes. 

21.  The  word  therefore,  which  introduces  a  fresh  paragraph 
or  section  in  Hebrew,  is  a  rhetorical  mode  of  indicating  a  transi- 
tion rather  than  a  logical  sequence. 

but  not  witii  wine  implies  that  the  veil  of  metaphor  is  for 
the  moment  torn  aside,  and  we  are  confronted  with  the  actuality 
of  God's  wrath  against  the  city  which  the  wine  symbolizes.  The 
poet,  however,  is  constrained  immediately  to  resume  the  veil  of 
metaphor  in  the  ensuing  verse. 

22.  The  metre  of  the  original  Hebrew,  which  is  supported  in 
this  case  by  the  LXX,  requires  the  elimination  of  the  words  thy 
Lord  and  the  copula  and. 

23.  The  cup  is  taken  from  Jerusalem's  hand  and  placed  in  that 
of  her  foes.  The  original  of  the  words  that  af^ict  thee  means 
properly  'that  trouble  (or  harass)  thee.'  The  Hebrew  verb  is  not 
used  elsewhere  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah,  and  appears  too  weak  to 
express  the  meaning  of  the  LXX  (  =  oppress).  Accordingly 
scholars  (Lowth,  Seeker,  Ewald,  Oort,  and  others)  are  in  favour 
of  a  very  slight  textual  emendation  (one  character  only  changed  into 
one  closely  similar)  whereby  we  substitute  in  our  text  the  verb  used 
in  Isa.  xlix.  6  ^  '  oppress,'  Moreover,  the  LXX  show  that  a  short 
additional  clause  has  been  omitted  from  our  Hebrew  text.  This 
gives  us  the  complete  metrical  elegiac  line.  The  line  thus  restored 
will  read  as  follows  r — 

'  And  I  give  it  into  the  hand  of  thine  oppressors — the  hand  of 
those  that  humiliate  thee  ^.' 

^  I  follow  here  Cheyne  and  Marti,  rather  than  Duhm,  as  the  LXX 
support  their  view.  The  Hebrew  correlate  to  the  LXX  rairftvoco  is 
Piel  of  n:!?,  of.    Ix,    14   (Heb.   and   LXX).     The   additional   clause 


i86  ISAIAH   52.  r 

52  Awake,  awake,  put  on  thy  strength,  O  Zion  ;  put  on  thy 
beautiful  garments,  O  Jerusalem,  the  holy  city :  for  hence- 
forth there  shall  no  more  come  into  thee  theuncircumcised 

The  concluding  part  of  this  verse  describes  the  humiliations  to 
which  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  were  subjected  whether  in 
Palestine  or  in  the  land  of  exile. 

Chapter  LII. 

lii.  I,  2.  Third  Strophe.  The  last  two  of  the  seven  lines  appear 
to  have  been  lost.  The  desolate  city  is  told  to  arise  from  the  dust 
and  bonds  of  her  captivity  and  array  herself  in  the  glorious  apparel 
of  a  holy  city  into  which  the  unclean  shall  not  enter.  We  have 
here  the  obverse  to  the  portrayal  of  the  dethroned  queen,  the 
captured  and  enslaved  Babylon  in  xlvii.  i  foil. 

1.  The  opening  phrase  is  a  favourite  formula  :  cf.  li.  9.  Here 
we  are  to  regard  it  as  a  Divine  call  to  the  senses  dulled  by  drinking 
deep  from  the  cup  of  wrath  that  had  made  those  senses  reel  (li.  17, 
20,  21). 

A  comparison  with  the  LXX  here  is  instructive.  This  version 
reads:  'Awake,  awake  Zion,  put  on  thy  strength,  Sion,  and 
put  on  thy  glory  (^beauty),  Jerusalem,  holy  city.'  Here  we 
note  the  insertion  of  Zion  at  the  end  of  the  first  clause  of  the 
Hebrew  text  employed  by  the  LXX.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
word  for  gfarntents  appears  to  have  been  omitted  in  their  text. 
This  example  clearly  shows  the  student  that  variations  crept  into 
the  different  Hebrew  copies  of  these  oracles.  And  our  own 
Hebrew  (Massoretic  text)  is  no  exception.  Here  the  elegiac 
metre  in  which  the  original  was  composed  furnishes  a  clue,  and 
the  word  Jerusalem  should  probably  be  removed  as  a  gloss.  We 
should  then  render  :— 

'  Awake,  awake  and  clothe  thee — in  thy  strength,  O  Zion  ; 
Clothe  thee  in  thy  beauteous  apparel — O  sacred  city.' 

The  stress  here  placed  on  cleanness,  and  on  the  uncleanness  of 
the  uncircumcised  foreigner,  whose  presence  defiled  the  city,  are 
characteristics  which  do  not  meet  us  in  the  pre-exilian  prophets, 
but  belong  to  the  days  of  the  exile  when  the  Jews  were  brought 
into  contact  with  the  uncircumcised  Babylonians.  Let  the  reader 
compare  with  this  passage  Ezek.  xliv.  6-10,  in  which  the  intro- 
duction of  an  uncircumcised  foreigner  into  the  sanctuary  of  the 
future  ideal  theocratic  commonwealth  of  Israel  is  strictly  pro- 
hibited.    The  influence  of  that  earlier  prophet  of  the  exile  over 


should  therefore  not  be  regarded  as  a  mere  duplicate  in  the  LXX  as 
Ottley  suggests. 


ISAIAH  52.  2,  3  187 

and  the  unclean.     Shake  thyself  from  the  dust ;  arise,  sit  2 
thee  down,  O  Jerusalem  :  loose  thyself  from  the  bands  of 
thy  neck,  O  captive  daughter  of  Zion. 

[For  thus  saith  the  Lord,  Ye  were  sold  for  nought;  and  S 

the  Deutero-Isaiah  can   scarcel3'  be   doubted   amid   the   powerful 
contrasts  which  distinguish  the  one  from  the  other. 

2.  The  verbal  form  rendered  sit  thee  down  maj^  also  be 
construed  as  a  substantive  and  rendered  '  captivity,'  i.  e.  the 
captive  people  of  Jerusalem,  and  it  is  so  taken  b}'  Koppe  and 
Hitzig,  but  in  the  original  the  masculine  gender  of  the  subst. 
renders  this  an  improbable  construction.  The  onl}'^  probable  in- 
terpretation is  that  which  is  given  above.  The  word  is  evident!}' 
imperative.  '  Unloose  thyself  from  the  bands '  is  the  translation 
which  harmonizes  best  with  the  context  in  which  we  have  a  series 
of  imperatives  addressed  to  Jerusalem.  This  is  based  on  the 
reading  of  the  Kere  (or  what  was  read  in  the  sj'nagogue).  On 
the  other  hand,  the  Kethib  (or  what  is  written  in  the  Hebrew  text) 
should  be  translated  '■  the  bonds  of  thy  neck  have  unloosed  them- 
selves' (similarly  R.  V.  marg,).  This  is  muchlessprobable  (cf,  LXX). 

Verses  3-6  :  a  prosaic  insertion.  Reflections  on  Israel's  past. 
We  have  already  noted  that  two  lines  seemed  to  have  been  lost  at 
the  close  of  the  preceding  strophe.  The  next  few  verses  (3-6) 
are  without  metre.  We  have  two  successive  sentences  beginning 
with  the  formula  '  For  thus  saith  Yahweh.'  Moreover  Zion 
is  no  longer  addressed  by  Yahweh,  but  in  place  of  this 
Israel  is  spoken  of  in  the  third  person  as  '  my  people.'  The 
thought  is  not  directed  to  the  immediate  future  of  blessedness 
and  glory,  but  towards  the  past,  upon  which  certain  reflections 
are  made  which  by  no  means  coincide  with  the  conceptions 
expressed  elsewhere,  e.  g.  in  xliii.  27,  28,  1.  i  (latter  pait),  in 
which  the  past  chastisements  of  Israel  are  regarded  as  due  to 
Israel's  transgressions.  Here  the  oppression  by  Ass3Tia  is  held 
to  be  purposeless  (if  the  reading  be  correct).  Here,  moreover, 
Israel's  ransom  is  obtained  without  compensation.  According 
to  xliii.  3  the  Deutero-Isaiah  regarded  the  conquest  of  Egypt 
as  the  compensation  to  be  accorded  to  Cyrus  for  the  freedom 
accorded  by  him  to  the  Jewish  exiles.  These  considerations 
point  to  the  conclusion  that  a  gap  in  the  defective  copy  of 
this  poem  has  been  filled  up  by  the  reflections  of  a  later  writer. 

3.  Per  is  a  link  with  the  genuine  words  of  the  poet  (Deutero- 
Isaiah)  which  immediately  precede.  Zion  is  to  cast  off  her  bonds 
because  her  humiliation  is  ^  in  vain  ^  (R.  V.  'for  nought'). 
Neither  Yahweh  nor  Israel  derives  an}'  compensation  for  the 
captivity  into  whicli  the  latter,  Yahweh's  people,  has  been  sold. 


i88  ISAIAH  52.  4,  5 

4  ye  shall  be  redeemed  without  money.  For  thus  saith  the 
Lord  God,  My  people  went  down  at  the  first  into  Egypt 
to  sojourn  there :  and  the  Assyrian  oppressed  them  with- 

5  out  cause.  Now  therefore,  what  do  I  here,  saith  the  Lord, 
seeing  that  my  people  is  taken  away  for  nought?  they  that 

The  idea  of  xlii.  24  and  other  passages,  that  Israel's  humiliation 
was  punishment  inflicted  for  the  nation's  sin,  is  not  here  set  forth. 

4.  Por  is  a  further  link  with  the  preceding  verse  3,  and  is 
merely  an  explication  of  the  same  idea.  In  the  earliest  period 
of  Israel's  history  (at  the  first)  he  went  down,  a  free  people, 
to  sojourn  in  Egypt  as  a  ger  or  foreign  guest.  Now  a  sojourning 
guest  has  rights  of  hospitality  and  protection.  These,  however, 
Egypt  violated  and  Israel  was  oppressed.  This  is  not  explicitly 
stated,  but  it  is  evidently  implied,  as  the  following  parallel  clause 
which  refers  to  Assyria  clearly  shows.  Assyria  oppressed  Israel 
'  for  nothing,'  i.  e.  without  any  compensaticn  rendered  to  Yahweh 
(or  possibly  *  for  no  reason,'  as  Duhm  interprets  ').  The  expres- 
sion seems  forced,  and  in  all  probability  the  reading  of  the 
original,  on  which  the  LXX  rendering  '  violently  *  (or  '  with 
violence  ')  is  based,  is  to  be  preferred.  Accordingly  render  : 
'  and  Assyria  oppressed  him  with  violence  2.' 

5.  'And  now,'  i.  e.  turning  from  the  past  to  the  present  state  of 
Israel's  sufferings.  To  what  place  does  here  refer?  Various 
answers  have  been  given.  Hitzig  decides  that  it  means  •  heaven,' 
to  which,  according  to  Ezekiel,  Yahweh  had  withdrawn  Himself 
after  the  destruction  of  the  temple.  Nagelsbach  and  others  refer 
it  to  '  Jerusalem,'  but  this  would  involve  a  violent  contrast  with 
the  conception  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  that  Zion  had  been  abandoned 
by  Yahweh  (cf.  1.  i  and  note).  More  probably  'here'  refers  to 
Babylonia,  where  Israel  still  remains. 

The  last  clause  of  this  verse  is  difficult  both  as  to  text  and  meaning. 
In  our  Hebrew  text  '  his  rulers  '  (R.  V.  '  they  that  rule  over  them') 
can  only  refer  to  the  Babylonians  ;  howl  will  thus  mean  a  howl 
of  malicious  triumph.  The  blasphemy  may  either  be  uttered  by 
the  foreign  oppressors  who,  like  Rabshakeh  (xxxvi.  7,  18,  xxxvii. 
4,  10  foil.),  uttered  scorn  over  Yahweh's  power  to  deliver,  or  (less 
probably)  by  the  Jews  themselves,  who  in  their  captivity  derided 
Yahweh,  who  seemed  impotent  to  save  (cf.  viii.  21).     When  we 

The  interpretation  of  the  original  by  Saadiah,  '  in  the  end '  (as 
opposed   to  '  in  the   beginning,'    in  the  iirst  clause),  is  followed  by 
Lowth,  but  has  no  real  warrant  in  linguistic  usage. 
^   Dom  instead    of  DDNa. 


ISAIAH  52.  6,7  189 

rule  over  them  do  howl,  saith  the  Lord,  and  my  name 
continually  all  the  day  is  blasphemed.      Therefore  my  6 
people  shall  know  my  name  :  therefore  they  shall  knoiv  in 
that  day  that  I  am  he  that  doth  speak ;  behold,  it  is  I.] 

How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  him  7 
that  bringeth  good  tidings,  that  publisheth  peace,  that 
bringeth  good  tidings  of  good,  that  publisheth  salvation ; 

turn  to  the  LXX  we  see  clear  evidence  of  a  variant  text  :  *  Because 
my  people  hath  been  taken  for  nought  ye  marvel  and  howP.' 
The  recurring  expression  of  this  verse,  saith  the  IiORD  (properly 
*  utterance  of  Yahvveh  '},  frequently  occurs  in  Jeremiah,  but  is  not 
characteristic  of  the  Deutero- Isaiah. 

6.  The  repetition  of  the  word  therefore  is  evidently  due  to 
a  scribal  blunder.  The  verse  should  read  in  the  form  in  which  it 
stands  in  the  LXX  :  '  Therefore  my  people  shall  know  my  name 
in  that  day  that  it  is  I  who  speak.     Here  am  I.' 

Fourth  Strophe  (verses  7-9%  Messengers  announce  the  glad 
tidings  of  YahvueWs  return  to  Jerusalem. 

7.  The  lyric  strains  of  the  Deutero- Isaiah  are  resumed.  The 
phraseology  of  the  opening  part  of  this  verse  recurs  in  Nah.  i.  15 
(ii.  I  Heb.).  But  there  is  a  general  concurrence  of  opinion 
among  critics  that  this  verse  in  Nahum  is  not  genuine  (with  not 
a  few  others  in  the  first  two  chapters).  On  the  other  hand,  it  is 
easy  to  see  that  this  verse  in  Isaiah  is  integral  to  the  poem.  It 
is  evidently  borrowed  from  this  chapter  in  the  form  in  which  it  is 
cited  by  the  compiler  of  the  oracles  of  Nahum  -.  Over  the  moun- 
tains that  lie,  as  we  may  here  assume,  on  the  eastern  side  of 
Jerusalem  messengers  are  seen  to  be  hurrying  with  the  glad 
tidings  of  Israel's  deliverance  and  the  near  approach  of  Yahweh's 
reign,  the  kingdom  of  God".  It  is  impossible  not  to  see  here,  as 
in  verse  i,  the  influence  of  the  earlier  exilian  prophet  Ezekiel,  who 
saw  in  vision  '  the  glory  of  Israel's  God  coming  by  way  of  the 

^  Based  apparently  on  the  original  Vrrrrm  "irronn.  Or  we  might 
render  the  last  clause  in  the  LXX  with  Duhm  as  imperatives:  '  marvel 
and  howl.'     He  would  restore  the  original  )b'rn^  ^nam. 

'  Consult  Nowack's  Commentary  on  the  'Minor  Prophets,'  adloc, 
as  well  as  Driver's  Minor  Prophets,  vol.  ii  (Century  Bible).  See 
Cornill's  Introduction  (Nahum). 

^  The  third  line  of  this  verse  is  metrically  too  short,  the  first  half 
needs  a  supplement.  Budde  proposes  to  restore  thus  :  who  saith 
unto  Zion  :  ['Thy  Redeemer  hath  come] — Thy  God  reigneth.'    . 


190  ISAIAH  52.  8 

8  that  saith  unto  Zion,  Thy  God  reigneth !  The  voice  of  thy 
watchmen  !  they  lift  up  the  voice,  together  do  they  sing ; 
for  they  shall  see,  eye  to  eye,  when  the  Lord  returneth  to 

east,  and  its  roar  was  like  the  roar  of  mighty  waters.'  This  glory 
of  Yahweh  enters  the  house  by  the  eastern  gate  ^  (Ezek.  xliii.  1-5). 

8.  *  Hark  (Ut.  the  voice  of)  thy  watchmen  !  They  have  shouted 
aloud  '  (Ut.  lifted  up  the  voice).  The  word  voice  occurs  twice  in 
the  successive  two  clauses,  and  recent  critics  would  eliminate  one 
of  them.  But  such  a  course  is  not  to  be  commended.  This 
idiomatic  use  of  *  voice  '  in  the  first  clause  {  =^  *  Hark  thy  watch- 
men !)  finds  a  parallel  in  xl.  3,  6.  The  watchmen  are  posted  on 
the  walls  of  the  city  gates  (on  the  '  roof  of  the  gateway ' :  a  Sam. 
xviii.  24)  in  ordinary  cases.  In  this  case,  however,  we  know  that 
Jerusalem's  walls  were  in  a  state  of  ruin  ever  since  the  capture  of 
the  city  in  587-6,  b.  c.  (verse  9  :  cf.  Neh.  i.  3,  ii.  3).  The  watch- 
men would  occupy  the  best  available  coigns  of  vantage  on  the 
ruins.  As  they  call  out  the  glad  tidings  of  the  approach  of 
the  exile  band  with  Yahweh  at  its  head,  for  which  the  swift 
messengers  over  the  mountains  had  already  prepared  them 
(verse  7),  the  inhabitants  within  the  city  press  forward  and 
join  in  one  universal  shout  of  acclamation.  And  now  they  can 
clearly  see  the  faces  of  the  exiles  with  Yahweh  leading  the 
procession. 

*  They  see  eye  to  eye,'  i.  e.  the  inhabitants  now  see  the  exiled 
band,  with  Yahweh  at  its  head,  close  at  hand.  The  meaning  of 
this  phrase  '  see  eye  to  eye  '  in  the  original  is  greatly  obscured  by 
our  own  popular  use  of  the  phrase.  '  Seeing  eye  to  eye  '  means, 
in  the  O.T.,  the  same  thing  as  beholding  face  to  face,  i.  e.  clearly 
and  close  at  hand  (cf.  Exod.  xxxiii.  11  ;  Num.  xii.  8,  xiv.  14,  and 
especially  Jer.  xxxii.  4).  The  imperfect  tenses  in  the  Hebrew 
should  here  rather  be  translated  by  the  present  tense  than  by 
the  future,  as  the  entire  context  shows  that  we  have  examples 
of  the  'dramatic  imperfect,'  though  the  events  vividly  described 
actually  belong  to  the  future.  Verses  ii  foil,  clearly  prove  that 
the  band  of  exiles  had  not  yet  started  from  Babylon. 


^  According  to  Ezekiel's  vision,  the  city  and  temple  are  new  built 
and  ready  to  receive  the  Divine  Visitant  and  Ruler,  while  in  Deutero- 
Isaiah  these  completed  externalities  are  not  presupposed.  The 
genius  of  the  one  and  of  the  other  seer  here  exhibit  their  respective 
contrasts.  That  of  Ezekiel  revels  in  externalities  and  detail ;  that  of 
the  Deutero-lsaiah  is  more  true  to  the  tradition  of  Hebrew  prophecy 
represented  in  the  great  succession,  Amos,  Isaiah,  and  Jeremiah. 
It  lays  stress  on  the  internal  and  spiritual. 


ISAIAH  52.9-ii  191 

Zion.    Break  forth  into  joy,  sing  together,  ye  waste  places  9 
of  Jerusalem :  for  the  Lord  hath  comforted  his  people, 
he  hath  redeemed  Jerusalem.      The  Lord  hath  made  10 
bare  his  holy  arm  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  nations ;  and  all 
the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  see  the  salvation  of  our  God. 
Depart  ye,  depart  ye,  go  ye  out  from  thence,  touch  no  u 

9.  <  Break  forth,  utter  a  ringing  cry  together— ruins  of  Jerusa- 
lem.' Even  the  very  ruins  are  to  join  the  exultant  acclaim. 
Perhaps  the  reply  of  Jesus,  on  the  occasion  of  His  triumphal 
entry  into  Jerusalem,  in  response  to  the  protests  of  the  Pharisees  : 
'  If  these  shall  be  silent,  the  stones  will  cry  out '  (Luke  xix.  40) 
was  based  on  a  reminiscence  of  this  passage  where  the  triumphal 
entry  of  Yahweh  into  His  own  ruined  and  desolated  city  is  the 
theme.  The  coincidence  of  our  Lord's  phrase  with  the  proverbial 
language  of  Hab.  ii.  11  hardly  indicates  the  actual  source.  The 
thought  of  a  ruined  Jerusalem  was  not  far  from  His  mind  (Mark 
xiii.  2,  14  foil.  ;  Luke  xiii.  35). 

With  the  words  hath  cojnforted  his  people  cf.  xl.  i. 

Fifth  Strophe  (verses  10-12).  Deliverance  by  Yahweh  before  all 
the  world  is  at  hand.  The  exiles  are  to  begin  the  solemn  march 
from  Babylon  to  Jerusalem. 

10.  We  have  here  a  reminiscence  of  the  image  of  Yahweh's 
arm  in  li.  5,  9.  The  metaphor  is  martial.  Yahweh  shall  perform 
His  doughty  deed  of  deliverance  in  the  presence  of  all  the  nations 
of  the  world.     Cf.  Ezek.  xxxviii.  23,  xxxix.  21, 

11.  g-o  out  from  thence.  From  what  place?  This  we  are  left 
to  infer.  Evidently  not  from  Jerusalem,  though  this  is  the  last 
place  mentioned  (verse  9).  This  lends  considerable  cogency  to 
Duhm's  assumption  that  a  long  line  of  this  poem,  immediately 
preceding  this  verse  and  coming  after  the  couple  of  long  lines 
of  verse  10,  has  dropped  out  of  our  text.  Probably  the  name 
Babel  (Babylon)  occurred  in  this  omitted  line.  It  is  to  be  noted 
that  instead  of  the  usual  seven  lines  in  this  strophe  we  have 
only  six. 

No  unclean  thing  (dead  body  or  other  impurity)  is  to  be  touched, 
For  Yahweh  is  the  leader  of  the  procession.  The  procession  is 
therefore  holy.  We  might  compare  as  an  illustration  Deut.  xxiii. 
10-14  :  cf.  Exod.  xix.  10-15  ;  i  Sam.  xxi.  5  foil.  The  centre  of  the 
advancing  column  consisted  of  the  priests  who  bore  the  sacred 
vessels.  It  is  hardly  possible  to  avoid  the  conclusion  that  the 
poet  had  in  mind  the  restoration  of  the  sacred  vessels  which  had 
been  carried  off  by  Nebuchadrezzar  (597  B.  c.  and  in  586  b.  c.)  to 
which  reference  is  made  in  2  Kings  xxi  v.  13,  xxv.  14  foil.  :  cf. 


igi  ISAIAH  52.  12,13 

unclean  thing;  go  ye  out  of  the  midst  of  her;  be  ye  clean, 

12  ye  that  bear  the  vessels  of  the  Lord.  For  ye  shall  not 
go  out  in  haste,  neither  shall  ye  go  by  flight :  for  the 
Lord  will  go  before  you ;  and  the  God  of  Israel  will  be 
your  rearward. 

13  [S.  Behold,  my  servant  shall  deal  wisely,  he  shall  be 

Jer.  xxvii,  18-22,  xxviii.  3,  6.     Duhm,  however,  regards  this  as 
possible  only  and  not  probable. 

The  midst  of  her  will  of  course  mean  from  the  midst  of 
Babylon.  For  be  ye  clean  read  'keep  yourselves  pure,'  or 
'cleanse  yourselves.' 

12.  All  these  precautions  are  to  be  carefully  taken.  There  is 
to  be  no  haste  in  departure  as  on  the  night  of  the  exodus,  as 
though  in  flight.  The  word  for  haste  seems  here  to  be  expressly 
chosen  in  the  original  in  reference  to  and  contrast  with  Deut. 
xvi.  3,  which  refers  to  the  haste  in  which  the  passover  was  eaten 
on  the  night  of  the  exodus  which  the  annual  celebration  of  the 
festival  ever  recalls.     Cf.  Exod.  xii.  39. 

Chapters  LII.  13— LIII.  12. 
Fourth  and  last  of  the  Servant-passages  and  the  climax  of  Hebrew 
Prophecy.  The  Servants  Martyrdom  and  future  Exaltation. 
The  student  will  have  been  already  prepared  in  the  Introduction 
to  this  volume  for  the  adequate  appreciation  of  this  greatest 
passage  in  the  Old  Testament,  which  has  exercised  a  deeper 
influence  over  New  Testament  writers  and  their  interpretation  of 
the  life  and  work  of  Jesus  than  any  other  section  of  the  Hebrew 
scriptures.  It  is  probably  the  New  Testament  interpretation  of 
this  last  '  Servant-poem '  which  is  chiefly  answerable  for  the 
conception  of  the  Servant  as  an  individual  (Acts  viii.  31-35  ;  Rom. 
iv.  25  :  cf.  I  Pet.  ii.  22-25)  who  vicariously  suffered  for  his  race, 
though  it  is  more  than  probable  that  this  conception  of  the 
passage  by  the  New  Testament  writers  conformed  to  that  which 
prevailed  among  certain  Jewish  circles  in  the  time  of  Christ.  But 
further  than  this  we  certainly  cannot  go.  Probably  other  inter- 
pretations were  then  current,  as  in  the  days  of  Origen  about  150 
years  later.  For  this  writer,  in  his  controversy  with  Celsus, 
mentions  the  interesting  fact  that  when  he  was  discussing  the 
claims  of  Jesus  with  Jewish  Rabbis  and  cited  this  very  passage  in 
proof,  the  reply  was  made  '  that  this  prophecy  referred  to  the 
entire  Jewish  people,  represented  as  an  individual,  which  had 
been  involved  in  the  dispersion  and  afflicted*.'     How  far  Judeo- 

*  Toura  irenpocprjTivaOat  us  irepl  kvos  rov  6\ov  \aov,  Kai  yevofxevov 
kv  T^  diaanopa  Kal  TtKrjyivros. 


ISAIAH  52.  13  195 

submissiveness  with  which  the  Servant  meets  his  cruel  oppressors, 
so  pathetically  portrayed  under  the  figure  of  a  lamb  in  the 
presence  of  the  slaughterer,  has  been  already  definitely  fore- 
shadowed in  the  same  short  poem  (1.  5,  6),  and  exactly  coincides 
with  the  character  of  gentleness  and  loving  sympathy  with  which 
we  find  him  endowed  in  the  first  poem  (xlii.  2,  3).  Lastly,  the 
final  vindication  of  Yahweh's  servant,  for  which  he  confidently 
waits,  and  which  he  definitely  proclaims  even  in  the  depth  of  his 
desolation  and  seeming  fruitless  endeavour  (xlix.  3,  4,  5),  and  of 
his  humiliation  at  the  hands  of  oppressors  (1.  7,  8),  forms  the 
natural  conclusion  of  the  last  and  longer  poem  in  which  the  revival 
and  glory  of  the  martyred  Servant  is  portrayed  (liii.  10-12).  All 
four  passages  constitute  an  inseparable  unity. 

It  is  therefore  a  grievous  sin  against  all  canons  of  true  inter- 
pretation if  judgments  are  passed  on  the  concluding  poem^  and 
its  portraiture  which  do  not  include  the  previous  shorter  poems  in 
their  scope.  The  individualizing  features  of  the  description  are  in 
reality  not  more  strongly  marked  here  than  in  the  other  Servant- 
passages.  They  impress  more  strongly  for  the  superficial  reason 
that  we  are  studying  a  longer  and  more  detailed  poem  and  a  full- 
length  portrait.  Duhm,  who  is  at  great  pains  to  establish  the 
antithesis  between  the  Deutero-Isaianic  Servant  of  Yahweh  and 
the  loftier,  purer,  and  individual  portraiture  of  these  four  poems,  is 
here  betrayed  into  drawing  the  contrasts  too  sharply.  He  finds  the 
individual  features  more  strongly  impressed  on  this  final  poem 
than  on  the  preceding  ones.  The  interpretation  of  the  Servant 
here  as  a  collective  personality  that  represents  either  the  actual  or 
the  ideal  Israel  Duhm  sets  aside  as  utterly  impossible.  We  may 
follow  Duhm  so  far  as  to  say  that  in  this  personal  portraiture  of 
the  purified  and  chastened  Israel  we  may  trace  the  lineaments  of 
the  prophet  Jeremiah,  whose  hfe  and  words  doubtless  deeply 
impressed  the  writer  of  these  Servant-poems.  See  Duhm's 
Commentary,  second  edition,  p.  367.  In  dealing  with  the  problem  of 
these  Servant-passages  we  see  this  great  interpreter  at  his  weakest, 
and   his  endeavours  to  solve  the  problem  betray  the  hesitancy 


^  It  is  impossible  within  the  limits  at  our  disposal  to  deal  with  the 
views  of  Schian  and  Kosters,  who  ascribe  Hi.  13 — liii.  12  to  an 
authorship  distinct  from  that  of  the  other  Servant-passages.  The 
arguments  against  such  a  view  are  stated  in  these  introductory 
remarks.  The  same  observation  applies  to  Bertholet's  theory  of  liii. 
I -I  I  a,  which  he  separates  from  the  context  and  ascribes  to  the 
Maccabaean  period,  and  sees  in  it  a  definite  reference  to  a  martyred 
individual,  viz.  the  aged  Eleazar,  2  Mace.  vi.  18-31.  It  is  difficult 
to  see  how  the  traits  of  leprosy,  wounding,  contempt,  and  revival  are 
reconcilable  with  this  view. 

O    2 


196  ISAIAH  52.  13 

of  the  critic  who  has  tenaciously  grasped  a  wrong  clue.  He 
candidly  confesses  :  *  We  stand  here  before  an  historic  problem 
which  we  cannot  solve,  especially  as  we  are  utterly  unable  to 
determine  with  any  certainty  the  time  when  the  Servant-songs 
were  composed.  Though,  roughly  speaking,  we  might  regard  the 
time  between  the  Exile  and  Ezra  as  the  most  probable,  yet  there 
is  nothing  to  prevent  us  from  holding  that  the  poet  was  dependent 
on  Malachi  rather  than  the  reverse,  or  even  to  descend  later  in  the 
stream  of  time.'  Duhm  appears  to  regard  the  last  verse  (verse  12) 
as  implying  a  personal  revival  after  death.  'After  he  has  died  for 
God  we  are  not  to  think  that  he  was  replaced  by  one  of  kindred 
spirit,  but  that  he  was  personally  made  alive  again.  It  is  only 
in  this  way  that  the  universal  judgment  can  be  refuted  that  he 
was  smitten  of  God.'  And  yet  this  does  not  carry  with  it  a  belief 
in  a  universal  immortality  and  resurrection.  Duhm  points  by 
way  of  parallel  to  the  appearance  of  Elijah  on  the  last  day 
according  to  Mai.  iii.  23  foil.  (E.V.  iv.  5  foil.). 

But  this  is  an  obviously  forced  interpretation.  The  path  of  the 
exegete  becomes  far  clearer,  as  Marti  justly  perceived  (see 
Commentary,  firs*^.^-  ."i.^'i'5')i  when  the  5«?i v3Tfc  "1^ Te'gsrra'ea  not 
*"as''S^'inSmduaf  but'as  a^  collective  expression.  We  can  say  of 
a  people  or  community  that  it  has  been  ill,  smitten,  carried  to  the 
slaughter,  laid  among  the  dead,  delivered  from  death,  and  that 
a  glorious  future  among  nations  awaits  it.  The  resurrection 
of  a  people  is  quite  possible,  as  Ezek.  xxxvii.  1-14  clearly  shows. 

Unfortunately  the  poem  itself  is  not  textually  well  preserved, 
and  it  must  be  admitted  that  corruptions  have  entered,  especially 
in  the  latter  portion  of  the  passage.  The  metre  of  this  poem  is 
the  same  as  that  of  the  first  and  second  of  the  series.  It  falls  into 
tetrastichs  or  stanzas  of  four  lines  each  ;  but  the  number  of  the 
stanzas  is  far  from  certain.  The  transition  from  Iii.  iS-^S?  '^i 
which  we  may  assume  that  Yahweh  is  the  speaker,  to  liii.  i  foil., 
in  which  the  Gentiles  speak,  is  unnaturally  sudden,  and  one  readily 
suspects  the  loss  of  an  intervening  stanza.  Likewise  there  is 
a  transition,  but  less  marked,  in  verse  11. 

Iii.  13-15  depict  the  glorious  future  of  the  Servant  as  compared 
with  his  present  abject  condition.  Yahweh  speaks  concerning  His 
Servant.  To  whom  and  in  what  character?  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  all  that  we  possess  of  these  Servant-poems  are 
fragments  taken  from  a  larger  whole  (how  large  can  never  be 
determined),  and  have  been  incorporated  by  the  Deutero-Isaiah 
into  his  own  work.  From  internal  indications  as  well  as  external 
we  gather  that  this  final  poem  of  the  series  forms  part  of  a  sublime 
judgment-scene,  in  which  Yahweh  in  His  capacity  of  judge 
summons  all  the  nations  of  the  world  to  hear  His  authoritative 
vindication  of  the   Suffering  Servant  and   the  exaltation  of  the 


ISAiAH  52.  14  197 

exalted  and  lifted  up,  and  shall  be  very  high.    Like  as  14 
many  were  astonied  at  thee,  (his  visage  was  so  marred 
more  than  any  man,  and  his  form  more  than  the  sons  of 

afflicted  and  righteous  exiled  community  who  are  destined  to 
high  honour  in  the  future  ^  This  entire  passage  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  has  deprived  of  its  introduction  and  has  inserted  it  into 
the  body  of  his  poems  at  this  point,  since  his  own  words  in  verse 
10  above — 

'  Yahweh  hath  stripped  His  holy  arm — before  the  eyes  of  the 

nations  ; 
And  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  see — the  deliverance  of 
our  God' — 

formed  a  substitute  for  the  omitted  preface  and  heralded  the 
address  of  Yahweh  with  which  this  Servant-poem  begins.  We 
have  observed  that  the  metrical  form  is  quite  distinct  in  this  poem 
from  the  Kinah  measure  of  the  preceding  lines. 

13.  In  place  of  shall  deal  wisely  the  margin  reads  'shall 
prosper.'  Both  meanings  for  the  Hebrew  verb  ^asM  are  possible. 
The  first,  meaning  'have  insight'  or  '  deal  wisely,*  is  supported 
by  such  passages  as  xliv.  18 ;  Jer.  xx.  11  ;  Ps.  ii.  10,  xiv.  2,  liii.  3, 
&c. ;  while  the  second  is  sustained  by  Joshua  i.  7,  8;  i  Sam. 
xviii.  14,  15  ;  Jer.  x.  21  ;  Prov.  xvii.  8.  The  latter  fits  better  into 
the  context.  We  thereby  have  an  ascending  climax  'shall 
prosper,'  'be  high,'  'be  very  exalted.'  We  agree  wMth  Giese- 
brecht^  in  regarding  Budde's  alteration  of  the  verbal  form  into 
'  Israel'  as  needless.     The  LXX  and  Vulg.  sustain  our  text. 

14.  The  sudden  change  from  the  designation  of  the  servant  as 
ixiy  servant  to  addressing  him  in  the  second  person  is  most 
abrupt  and  unusual.  Most  scholars  have  therefore  followed  Targ. 
and  Pesh.  in  reading  'at  hiui''  instead  of  'at  thee.'  Moreover, 
the  occurrence  of  the  same  Hebrew  adverb  so  in  successive 
clauses  is  very  awkward,  and  the  alteration  of  the  first  into  the 
Hebrew  word  for  '  for '  {ken  altered  to  ki)  is  to  be  commended  (so 
Giesebrecht)  -^    Also  the  isolated  expression  niishhath,  'something 

^  Note  the  utter  contrast  between  the  attitude  of  the  writer  to  the 
Gentile  world  as  compared  with  the  spirit  exhibited  by  the  eschato- 
logical  passage  of  Divine  judgment  against  Gog  in  Ezek.  xxxviii, 
xxxix,  anticipating  the  spirit  of  later  Judaism.  (The  genuineness  of 
these  chapters  is  doubted  by  Gressmann  and  Bousset.)  Gressmann 
rightly  emphasizes  the  eschatological  character  of  Isa.  lii.  13 — liii.  12 
{JJrspriing  der  Israel. -yud.  Eschatologie,  p.  327). 

-  Der  Knecht  Jalives,  p.  log. 

*  On    the   other   hand,    Duhm   suggests   another   remedy,  which 


198  ISAIAH  52.  15 

15111611,)  so  shall  he  sprinkle  many  nations;  kings  shall 
shut  their  mouths  at  him  :  for  that  which  had  not  been 
told  them  shall  they  see ;  and  that  which  they  had  not 
heard  shall  they  understand. 

corrupted  or  deformed,'  is  suspicious.  The  pronunciation  of  the 
Hebrew  characters  as  a  passive  partic,  Hofal  nioshhdth,  originally 
proposed  by  Geiger,  is  now  generally  accepted. 

15.  The  opening  word  so  (Hebrew  ken)  marks  the  apodosis  to 
the  clause  *■  Like  as  .  .  .'  at  the  beginning  of  verse  14.  The 
rendering  sprinkle  is  very  doubtful,  not  because  the  verbal  form 
does  not  frequently  bear  this  signification  in  Hebrew  (cf.  Num. 
viii.  7,  xix.  18,  19,  21  ;  Lev.  iv.  6,  v.  9,  viii.  11,  &c.),  but  because 
the  following  construction  seems  to  forbid  it  \  Furthermore,  it  is 
difficult  to  see  the  logical  connexion  between  the  two  ideas  of 
bodily  disfigurement  and  the  sprinkling  of  the  nations.  On 
account  of  these  objections  recourse  is  had  to  an  Arabic  verbal 
root  nazd  'to  spring.'  The  causative  form  in  our  text  will  then 
mean  'cause  to  spring,'  i.e.  startle  :  see  R.  V.  marg.  Instead  of 
this,  O.T.  scholars  are  ready  with  textual  emendations,  of  which 
the  most  probable  is  that  of  Moore  ^  {Jottrn.  of  Bibl.  Lit.,  1890, 
pp.  216  foil.).     Verses  14  and  15  may  then  be  rendered  : — 

'Just  as  many  were  dumbfounded  at  him, 
For  deformed  was  his  appearance  so  as  not  to  be  a  man, 
And  his  figure  so  as  not  to  be  human,^ — 

removes  the  parenthesis  at  the  close  of  verse  14  and  places  it  at  the 
close  of  liii.  2.     There  would  then  be  no  need  to  alter  the  word  for 
'so'  {ken)  to  the  word  for  '  for '  {ki).     Accordingly  we  read  : 
*  No  form  had  he,  nor  stateliness 

[That   w^e  should  behold    him],    as    appearance    that   we    should 
delight  in  him. 

So  deformed  was  his  appearance,  so  as  not  to  be  a  man. 

And  his  figure  so  as  not  to  be  human.' 
rhis  is  extremely  ingenious,  and  rids  verse  14  of  a  somewhat  cum- 
brous parenthesis.     It  also  restores  the  stiophic  arrangement.     But 
in  the  presence  of  evident  gaps  this  last  argument  is  doubtful. 

^  The  proper  Hebrew  construction  is  '  sprinkle  (water,  &c.)  tcpon.'' 

^  He  reads  :  1WT,' '  so  shall  many  nations  be  stirred,'  this  yields 
a  good  parallelism,  and  fairly  accords  with  the  LXX  Oav/xaaovrai. 
Other  readings  need  not  be  quoted. 

^  For  this  use  of  the  Hebrew  preposition  min  to  express  a  negative 
the  student  of  Hebrew  is  referred  to  Gesenius-Kautzsch,  Hebr. 
Gram.^^,  §  ii9y  :  cf.  Isa.  vii.  8  (last  clause);  xxiii.  i. 


ISAIAH  53.  I  199 

Who  hath  believed  our  report  ?  and  to  whom  hath  the  63 

So  shall  he  startle  many  nations, 

Before  him  kings  shall  shut  their  mouths; 

For  what  hath  not  been  recounted  to  them  they  see, 

And  what  they  have  not  heard  they  perceive,' 

shut  their  mouths,  i.  e.  in  awe-struck  wonder  (Job  xxix. 
9  foil.,  xl.  4)  at  the  exalted  dignity  of  the  martyred  sufferer. 

Chapter  LIII. 

1.  It  is  quite  evident  that  we  here  enter  suddenly  upon  a  new 
scene  in  the  solemn  drama  of  Divine  judgment.  For  this  chapter 
commences  with  the  utterance  of  a  new  speaker.  The  theme  is 
obviously  still  the  martyred  servant  with  his  sufferings  and  his 
coming  vindication  and  glory.  But  Yahweh  is  spoken  of  in  the 
third  person,  while  the  speaker  regards  himself  as  the  represen- 
tative of  a  society  whose  iniquities  have  been  borne  by  the 
suffering  servant.  Duhm,  who  summarily  rejects  the  view  that  it 
is  either  the  prophets  or  the  Gentiles  who  are  here  speaking, 
propounds  the  theory  that  it  is  the  poet  himself  who  is  the  speaker. 
But  this  involves  us  in  difficulties,  (i)  In  no  other  case  does  the 
poet  himself  speak  in  these  Servant-passages.  (2)  The  trans- 
gressions for  which  the  Servant  was  smitten  are  then  exclusively 
those  of  the  Israelite  race,  for  'our'  cannot  be  referred  to  others 
than  the  race  or  community  to  which  the  speaker  belongs. 
Consequently  the  Gentiles  have  no  part  or  lot  in  chap.  liii.  The 
servant  suffered  and  died  for  Israel  only.  But  this  stands  in 
violent  contrast  with  the  whole  scope  and  tendency  of  the 
Servant-poems :  xUx.  i,  xlii.  i,  4,  and  especially  xlix.  6,  show 
that  the  mission  of  the  Servant  of  Yahweh  was  specially  directed 
to  the  Gentile  world.  The  significance  of  these  opening  verses 
(at  least  1-7,  probably  i-io)  only  becomes  clear  and  consistent 
with  the  whole  series  of  Servant-passages  when  we  assume  with 
Budde,  Giesebrecht,  Marti,  and  other  recent  critics  that  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Gentile  races  is  spokesman.  Probably  if  we 
possessed  the  poem  in  its  complete  form  some  omitted  lines 
between  lii.  15  (in  which  the  startled  nations  and  their  kings  are 
spoken  of)  and  liii.  i  would  be  found  to  relate  the  summons  of 
Yahweh  to  the  Gentiles  to  bear  witness  to  the  righteousness  and 
faithfulness  of  the  Servant. 

Translate:   'Who  could  have  believed  what  w^'^  ^^-^^^  iussive* 
So    Teake,    who    cites    Giesebrecht,    Beitragf^;^^^,  grammatical 
p.  159.     Giesebrecht  gives  references  to  graj,  j^e  other  hand,  the 

--     — — ; ; ;  ]      ;         ;;  ^  consecutive.     Their 

As  Giesebrecht  gives  citations  from  woi,d  he  had  no  form  nor 
most  of  our  readers,  we  would  direct  them  ^^^^  dishonoured.' 


200  ISAIAH  53.  2 

2  arm  of  the  Lord  been  revealed?  For  he  grew  up  before 
him  as  a  tender  plant,  and  as  a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground  : 
he  hath  no  form  nor  comeliness ;  and  when  we  see  him, 

for  this  idiomatic  use  of  the  Perfect  tense,  unsatisfactorily  rendered 
in  R.V.  *  hath  believed.'  Report  is  also  inadequate  as  a  rendering. 
R.V.  (marg.)  correctly  interprets  the  Hebrew  substantive  by  '  that 
which  we  have  heard.'  We  have  already  noted  in  previous 
passages  the  negative  significance  of  this  rhetorical  interrogative. 
The  answer  is:  'no  one.'  For  been  revealed  we  might 
substitute  the  reflexive  form  'hath  revealed  itself.'  This  expres- 
sion of  feeling  on  the  part  of  the  Gentiles,  who  give  their 
testimony,  exactly  accords  with  the  dumbfounded  awe  and 
wonderment  of  the  foreign  nations  and  kings  described  in  the 
preceding  verses.  By  '  Yahweh's  arm '  is  meant  here  and  in 
other  cases  the  manifestation  of  His  power  in  the  exalted  destiny 
which  is  now  to  be  confen^ed  upon  His  Servant,  which  seems 
incredible. 

2.  The  original  reads  '  and  he  grew  up  before  Him  (i.  e. 
Yahweh)  as  a  tender  sapling.'  As  immediately  following  upon 
the  interrogative  clause,  this  sentence  is  certainly  very  abrupt. 
The  subject  we  may  infer  to  be  the  servant  spoken  of  in  Hi.  13-15. 
Accordingly  we  are  led  to  suspect  that  there  is  an  omitted  line 
that  precedes  verse  2.  There  is  no  need  to  follow  Ewald,  Cheyne, 
Oort,  and  Giesebrecht  in  reading  'before  us'  instead  of  before 
Kim,  the  rendering  of  our  Hebrew  text  supported  by  LXX.  The 
word  rendered  'tender  sapling'  (R.V.  'tender  plant')  properly 
means  'suckling,'  but  is  often  applied  as  a  substantive  to  the 
vegetable  world,  especially  in  Job  (viii.  16,  xiv.  7,xv.  30  :  cf.  Hos. 
xiv.  7;  Ezek.  xvii.  22;  Ps.  Ixxx.  12  [A.  V.  11]).  Thejneaning 
15  that  the  Serveint  grew  up  in  quiet  obscurity  like  a  young 
unobtrusive,  unobserved  sapling  ;  a  small  exiled,  undemonstrative. 
God-fearing  community  watched  and  tended  by  Yahweh^  grew 
up  in  the  land  of  exile  as  a  root  (or  root-sprout,  cf.  xi.  10)  spring- 
ing out  of  the  parched  soil.  In  the  desert  of  the  exile  it  reached 
no  imposing  height  or  proportions.  '  It  had  no  graceful  form 
{toar)  ^  or  stateliness  (Jiaddr)  3,  that  we  should  behold  it,  nor  (fair) 

Syntax,  6    1 1    (c),  Rem.  2,   pp.  C2  foil.  :  Gesenius-Kautzsch,  Heb. 
2    H  \\adfin. 

tie  reaas :  ,^  ^.j^g  more  natural  meaning  of  'before  him,'  as 
a  good  parallelisn,.  Duhm  understands  it  apparently  as  =^  with 
Other  readings  need^jous  of  holy  calling. 

^  For  this  use  of  t.,.  xvi.  18. 
the   student    of    Heb.xiij.  40  (in  reference  to  trees). 
Gram.^^,  §  ii9y  :  v 


ISAIAH  53.  3,  4  201 

there  is  no  beauty  that  we  should  desire  him.     He  was  3 
despised,  and  rejected  of  men ;  a  man  of  sorrows,  and 
acquainted  with  grief:  and  as  one  from  whom  men  hide 
their  face  he  was  despised,  and  we  esteemed  him  not. 
Surely  he   hath   borne   our  griefs,   and  carried   our  4 

appearance  that  we  should  delight  in  it,'  quite  unlike  the  trees  in 
Paradise,  which  were  *  delightful  in  appearance '  (Gen.  ii.  9)  ^. 

3.  For  rejected  of  men  it  would  be  better  to  read  '  neglected  (or 
R.  V.  marg.  '' forsaken")  of  men,'  The  meaning  of  the  Hebrew 
adject,  {hddel)  is,  however,  doubtful.  The  signification  of  the 
Hebrew  verbal  root  is  'cease'  or  *  leave.'  It  is  not  improbable 
that  we  ought  to  take  the  adject,  in  the  active  rather  than  the  passive 
sense  (just  as  in  Ezek.  iii.  27)  :  one  who  abandotjs  (or  dispenses 
zvith)  the  society  of  men.  The  despised  and  martyred  community 
of  exiles  is  despised  by  the  foreigner  and  regarded  as  a  leper  and 
outcast ;  accordingly  it  withdraws  from  intercourse  with  men  and 
is  constrained  to  live  its  life  in  seclusion  both  shunned  and 
shunning  their  fellow  men — vivid  prefiguration  of  Israel's  later 
days ! 

The  Servant  is  further  portrayed  as  *a  suffering  man,  familiar 
with  disease.'  Grief  in  R.V.  (and  A.  V.)  is  not  an  accurate 
rendering  ;  R.  V.  marg.  is  to  be  preferred — 'sickness.' 

In  the  latter  part  of  this  verse  we  can  only  treat  Heb.  master  as 
a  substantive  parallel  to  many  other  like  formations  in  Hebrew : 
'and,  like  an  object  from  which  one  hides  the  face,  was  he 
despised,  &c.'  So  Ewald,  Hitzig,  Dehtzsch,  and  most  commenta- 
tors.    But  the  construction  is  complex  and  open  to  much  doubt. 

Verses  4-8.  The  pathos  deepens  as  we  learn  from  the  Gentile's 
lips  the  vicarious  suffering  and  death  of  the  martyred  Servant. 
Special  care  must  be  taken  to  mark  the  emphasis  of  the  personal 
pronoun  insufficiently  expressed  in  the  version  of  R.  V.  above. 

4.  Render  : 

*  Yet  our  diseases  'twas  he  who  bore. 
And  our  sufferings,  he  bore  their  load  ; 
While  we,  we  thought  him  plague-struck, 
Smitten  of  God  and  humiliated.' 

^  The  construction  of  the  latter  part  of  this  verse  with  jussive 
and  copulative  Waw  follows  the  precedent  of  Hebrew  grammatical 
usage;  see  Gesen.-Kautzsch^^  §  166.  i  (a).  On  the  other  hand,  the 
LXX  clearly  read  the  first  verbal  form  with  Waw  consecutive.  Their 
text  evidently  differed  :  'And  we  beheld  him,  and  he  had  no  form  nor 
beauty  [reading  mon"),  verse  3].     But  his  form  was  dishonoured.' 


202  ISAIAH  53.  5-7 

sorrows  :  yet  we  did  esteem  him  stricken,  smitten  of  God, 

5  and  afflicted.  But  he  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions, 
he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities:  the  chastisement  of  our 
peace  was  upon  him  ;  and  with  his  stripes  we  are  healed. 

6  All  we  like  sheep  have  gone  astray;  we  have  turned  every 
one  to  his  own  way ;  and  the  Lord  hath  laid  on  him  the 
iniquity  of  us  all. 

7  He  was  oppressed,  yet  he  humbled  himself  and  opened 

Here  the  Heb.  particle  achm  means  '  yet,'  '  nevertheless,' 
marking  contrast,  just  as  the  writer  of  these  Servant-passages 
employs  it  in  xlix.  4.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Deutero-Isaiah 
employs  it  in  the  sense  of  'Yea,'  'in  truth'  (xl.  7,  xlv.  15).  The 
name  for  deity  is  not  Yahweh  but  the  general  name  for  '  God,' 
viz,  Elohiin,  which  a  polytheist  Gentile  might  employ.  A  Baby- 
lonian might  hold  that  the  physical  sufferings  of  the  Servant  were 
inflicted  on  him  by  Namtar,  to  whom  evil  demons  were  subject  and 
who  sent  them  forth  as  his  emissaries  ^ 

5  takes  the  form  of  what  in  Hebrew  syntax  is  called  a 
circumstantial  clause  (see  Davidson,  Heb.  Syntax,  §§  137  foil., 
and  especially  §  138  b).  The  personal  pronoun  he  is  again 
emphatic,  and  stands  in  contrast  with  we  of  the  preceding  clause : 
'  For  it  was  he  who  was  pierced  because  of  our  transgressions, 
maimed  because  of  our  iniquities.' 

The  chastisemeut  of  our  peace  is  obviously  a  condensed 
expression,  as  the  following  parallel  clause  clearly  shows.  It 
means  the  chastisement  destined  to  bring  about  our  well-being. 
The  Hebrew  word  rendered  stripes  is  the  same  as  that  which 
occurs  in  i.  6,  and  is  there  translated  by  R.  V.  as  '  bruises.'  This 
latter  rendering  is  really  closer  to  the  true  meaning,  which  is 
actually  'scar'  or  'weal'  left  by  a  wound  or  blow.  Translate, 
'and  through  his  scars  healing  has  come  to  us.' 

6.  For  laid  on  him  substitute  the  more  accurate  rendering  of 
R.  V.  margin,  'made  to  light  upon  him.' 

Verses  7-9  describe  the  persecution,  even  to  death,  of  the  martyred 
Servant,  and  the  gentle  uncomplaining  spirit  with  which  he  bore 
it  all. 

V.  Translate  :  '  He  was  persecuted,  yet  it  was  he  who  suffered 
himself  to  be  humiliated^.'    He  opened  not  his  mouth  to  complain 

^  See  Zimmern,  in  KAT?,  pp.  460  and  562  (cf.  Jastrow,  Religion 
of  Babylonia  and  Assyria,  pp.  570  foil.). 

^  The  LXX  is  here  obscure,  but  may  perhaps  have  been  based  as 


ISAIAH  53.  8  203 

not  his  mouth  j  as  a  lamb  that  is  led  to  the  slaughter,  and 
as  a  sheep  that  before  her  shearers  is  dumb;  yea,  he  opened 
not  his  mouth.     By  oppression  and  judgement  he  was  8 
taken  away ;  and  as  for  his  generation,  who  among  them 

or  protest  against  such  harsh  treatment ;  slatig-hter  or '  slaughtering* 
is  more  probably  the  right  interpretation  than  Duhm's  '  slaughter- 
bench  '  (so  also  Marti)  ^.  At  the  close  of  the  verse  the  repetition 
of  the  phrase  '■  he  opened  not  his  mouth '  is  probably  a  gloss  added 
by  a  scribe  who  thought  that  the  previous  comparison  'as  a 
lamb  .  .  .,  as  a  sheep  .  .  .'  required  an  apodosis.  Duhm  (who  is 
here  followed  by  Giesebrecht)  is  justified  in  deleting  the  clause, 
as  it  is  redundant  to  the  quatrain  which  properly  ends  with  the 
line  'like  a  sheep  before  its  shearers  is  dumb.' 

8.  From  this  point  onwards  there  are  evident  corruptions  of  the 
text,  and  there  are  many  proposed  emendations.  The  LXX  had 
a  somewhat  different  text  in  the  first  line,  which  may  be  rendered 
'Through  oppression  his  right  was  taken  away-';  i.e.  by  high- 
handed oppression  the  martyred  Servant  was  deprived  of  his 
rights — a  perfectly  intelligible  sentence,  and  in  harmony  with  the 
context.  All  the  commentators,  however,  adhere  to  our  Hebrew 
text,  but  their  interpretations  differ.  Thus  the  Hebrew  preposition 
at  the  head  of  the  word  for  oppression  and  judgement  may  bear 
the  ordinary  meaning  '  from  '  or  '  on  account  of.'  Accordingly  the 
Peshitto  or  Syriac  version,  which  Delitzsch  and  Orelli  follow, 
give  the  first  line  the  rendering  :  '  He  was  taken  away  from  prison 
and  from  judgment,'  i.  e.  by  death,  the  words  being  directly 
apphed  to  our  Lord's  crucifixion  (so  our  A.  V.).  But  'prison'  or 
'imprisonment'  is  a  questionable  rendering  for  the  Hebrew  word 
('oser).  The  use  of  the  word  in  Ps.  cvii.  39  supports  the  rendering 
'  oppression '  in  this  passage.  Moreover,  as  Rosenmiiller  pointed 
out  nearly  a  century  ago,  we  obtain  a  better  meaning  by  taking 
the  Hebrew  preposition  in  the  second  sense,  'on  account  of.'  We 
tluis  obtain  a  translation  which  accords  better  with  the  context. 


a  free  rendering  on  our  text.  Syriac  and  Vulgate  read  the  verb  as 
7iiggash  (not  niggas),  which  yields  another  and  unsuitable  sense. 
The  translation  we  have  adopted,  '  suffered  himself  to  be  humiliated/ 
regards  the  verbal  form  as  a  Nif'al  tolerativum.  So  Delitzsch; 
cf.  Exod.  X.  3,  and  Gesenius-Kautzsch  {Heb.  Gram."^^,  §  51.  2  a). 

^  In  Hebrew  (ebah,  rendered  in  LXX  acpay^.  'Slaughter-bench,' 
would  probably  be  expressed  in  Hebrew  by  a  form  with  prefixed  7;/, 
i.e.  niitbah  or  mitbeah  (cf.  jnizbeah). 

-  Apparently  np"?  ^t:|\i:a  *^:inD. 


204  ISAIAH  53.  8 

considered  that  he  was  cut  off  out  of  the  land  of  the 
Hving?  for  the  transgression  of  my  people  was  he  stricken. 

'  On  account  of  (or  by)  oppression  and  judgment  he  was  carried 
off'  (i.e.  by  a  violent  end).  So  Giesebrecht  in  the  translation 
furnished  in  his  treatise  KJ.,  p.  107. 

The  remainder  of  the  verse  is  most  obscure.  When  we  turn  to 
the  LXX  we  find  variations  of  text  which  are  worthy  of  careful 
consideration.  This  version  is  as  follows  :  '  His  generation  who 
will  describe  ?  For  his  life  is  taken  from  the  earth  ^  ;  owing  to  the 
transgressions  of  my  people  he  was  led  (?)  to  death.'  The  Hebrew 
word  dor^  here  rendered  generation,  has  been  a  subject  of  much 
controversy,  both  as  regards  meaning  and  construction.  The 
following  are  some  of  the  meanings  proposed  for  the  word  : — 
'Destiny'  (Hitzig),  'dwelling'  (i.e.  the  'grave' — so  Knobel ;  or 
'  place  of  residence ' — so  Duhm),  '  length  (or  course)  of  life  ' 
(Luther,  Vitringa).  We  need  not  mention  others.  The  only 
satisfactory  and  well- warranted  sense  is  that  already  given  in  the 
LXX,  viz.  'generation.'  'His  generation'  would  therefore  mean 
his  countrymen  who  were  living  at  the  time,  his  fellow  Jews.  But 
what  is  the  construction  of  this  word?  It  is  preceded  by  a  Hebrew 
particle  which  may  be  either  the  sign  for  the  accusative  or  the 
preposition  '  with.'  Again  opinions  differ  widely.  Some  would 
give  the  special  meaning  to  the  particle  as  for  (as  in  Ivii.  12  ; 
Ezek.  vi.  9,  xvii.  21,  &c.).  Others,  including  Ewald  and  Orelli, 
would  regard  it  as  a  preposition  meaning  'with,'  'among.'  This 
is  certainly  more  probable.  Accordingly  we  may  render  this 
difficult  sentence  :  '  And  among  his  generation  who  would  reflect 
that  he  was  cut  off  from  the  land  of  the  living.'  The  expression 
land  of  the  living  was  a  current  Hebrew  phrase,  cf.  Jer.  xi.  19, 
Ps.  xxvii.  13,  and  other  passages.  The  last  clause  requires  consider- 
able emendation.  My  people  is  strange  on  the  lips  of  a  Gentile. 
A  very  slight  emendation  (the  prolongation  of  a  single  final 
character)  would  make  it  '  his  people '  (i.  e.  the  Jewish  race,  viz. 
the  generation  who  were  contemporaries  of  the  Servant  of 
Yahweh).  A  further  emendation  (based  on  the  LXX),  which  has 
been  accepted  by  most  critics,  gives  us  the  following  sense  in  the 
last  clause  of  the  verse  :  '  On  account  of  the  transgression  of  his 
people  was  he  smitten  to  death''.'     The  purport  of  this  passage  is 

^  In  the  original  VT»  p«D  nM2.  The  Hebrew  verb  translated 
'  describe '  (but  more  correctly  *  reflect,'  meditate)  is  not  con- 
strued with  the  simple  accusative  but  with  the  Hebrew  preposition  2  = 
'  reflect  on.'  The  construction  of  the  LXX  is  therefore  hardly  ad- 
missible in  point  of  usage. 

'•^  nioS  yj:  (or  r?:). 


ISAIAH  53.  9  205 

And  they  made  his  grave  with  the  wicked,  and  with  the  9 
rich  in  his  death ;   although  he  had  done  no  violence, 
neither  was  any  deceit  in  his  mouth. 

to  show  that  the  Martyr-servant  died  for  the  sins  of  the  Jews  ^, 
a  large  number  of  whom  had  become  the  devotees  of  the  gods  of  the 
land  in  which  they  hved  and  conformed  to  the  customs  of  the 
Babylonians.  Thus  the  death  had  a  world-wide  atoning  value. 
The  Servant  died  for  both  Jew  and  Gentile.  The  Jewish  con- 
temporaries of  the  suffering  and  faithful  community  of  their  fellow 
countrymen  who  strenuously  and  patiently  upheld  their  faith  as 
witnesses  for  truth  amid  dire  persecution,  as  little  realized  as  the 
Gentiles  that  this  martyrdom  was  an  atonement  for  their  own 
sins. 

9.  Dishonour  even  pursued  the  Martyr-servant  to  the  grave. 
He  is  buried  among  the  wicked  and  the  wealthy.  This  verse  is 
also  involved  in  textual  difficulties,  but  not  in  so  aggravated  a  form 
as  in  the  preceding  verse.  Our  only  path  of  safety  is  to  follow  as 
far  as  possible  the  Massoretic  text  so  far  as  it  is  sustained  by  the 
LXX.  Though  the  latter  obviously  misunderstood  the  Hebrew  text, 
their  mistranslations  help  to  establish  the  accuracy  of  our  text  in 
the  main. 

And  they  made  (lit.  '  gave ').  The  verb  is  impersonal  third 
sing,  in  the  original  (properly  'and  one  gave'^).  Fate  ordained 
that  the  pious  and  faithful  community  of  exiles,  who  had  maintained 
their  faith  in  Yahweh  amid  all  the  darkness  and  persecution  of 
their  exile  home,  should  die  in  Babylonia  among  the  rich  and 
powerful.  The  latter  may  have  been  Babylonians,  who  made  the 
life  of  this  martyr-community  bitter,  or  fellow  Jews  who  lived 
prosperously  and  had  abandoned  the  rehgion  of  their  forefathers. 
The  form  translated  in  Ms  death  is  very  questionable,  though  it 
apparently  has  the  support  of  the  LXX  even  in  their  mistranslation. 
Probably  we  ought  to  render  •  his  mound,'  i.  e.  the  tumulus  which 
marked  the  site  of  the  martyr's  grave.  This  makes  the  parallelism 
with  the  previous  clause  (viz.  'grave')  more  clear ^. 

^  There  Is  therefore  no  need  whatever  for  Budde's  drastic  emen- 
dation !ir;^irep,  'on  account  of  our  transgressions,*  instead  of 
'jpv  rt'E'3.  Budde,  however,  admits  the  reasonableness  of  the  slight 
emendation  te^^  which  we  have  adopted.  See  his  Die  sogenannten 
Ebed-yahwe-Lieder,  p.  12. 

^  The  LXX  read  in  their  Heb.  text  the  first  person  sing. — obviously 
a  textual  error. 

^  This  use  of  the  word  batndh,  meaning  properly  *  height '   (cf. 


2o6  ISAIAH  53.  lo 

Yet  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  bruise  him ;  he  hath  put 
him  to  grief:  when  thou  shalt  make  his  soul  an  offering 
for  sin,  he  shall  see  his  seed,  he  shall  prolong  his  days, 
and  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  shall  prosper  in  his  hand. 

The  preposition  which  in  the  original  begins  the  following  clause 
is  rendered  by  the  LXX  and  Vulg.  '  because '  and  is  followed  by 
our  Authorized  Version.  The  R.  V.,  whose  translation  is  given 
above,  rightly  substituted  although.  Cf.  Job  xvi.  17,  where  the 
same  Hebrew  preposition  has  the  same  force :  *  Though  no 
wickedness  is  in  my  hands  and  my  prayer  is  pure.'  The  last  two 
lines  of  the  quatrain  dwell  on  the  fact  that  such  burial  among  the 
wicked  was  utterly  unmerited. 

10.  It  is  not  quite  clear  whether  this  verse  continues  the 
utterance  of  the  Gentile  spokesman.  If  so,  it  appears  to  exhibit 
him  in  the  light  of  a  true  follower  of  Yahweh  to  whom  the 
purposes  of  the  God  of  the  Hebrews  were  familiar  and  intelligible. 
But  the  construction  of  the  Massoretic  text,  and  the  wide  divergence 
of  the  text  on  which  the  LXX  based  their  rendering,  render  this 
one  of  the  most  problematic  verses  of  the  chapter.  The  opening 
clause  in  the  Hebrew  can  only  be  translated  somewhat  as 
the  R.  V.  render  above,  though  the  R.  V.  marg.  '  made  him  sick ' 
(better  'subjected  him  to  disease')  is  certainly  to  be  pre- 
ferred. On  the  other  hand,  when  we  turn  to  the  LXX  we 
have  clear  evidence  of  a  slightly  different  text  with  a  quite  different 
rendering.  '  And  the  Lord  (i.  e.  Yahweh)  was  pleased  to  purify 
him  from  the  plague  ^'  Here  the  word  translated  *  purify '  is  the 
same  as  the  Hebrew^  word  in  our  text  which  is  rendered  bruise. 
The  LXX  read  that  word  with  the  sense  which  it  bears  in 
Aramaic  ^.    Giesebrecht,  it  is  true,  would  deal  much  more  drastically 

Ps.  xviii'.  34;  Deut.  xxxii.  13),  is,  it  must  be  confessed,  quite  unique 
and  so  questionable.  It  is  possible  that  we  ought  to  read  hHh  mdthS 
=  his  sepulchre  (on  b^th  used  in  this  connexion  cf.  Neh.  ii.  3).  Also 
the  Hebrew  sing,  form  'dshir,  '  wealthy,'  is  strange,  and  Bottcher's 
emendation,  'dse  ra ,  is  an  ingenious  escape  from  the  difficulty,  and 
sustains  the  parallelism.  Peake  in  his  translation  adopts  it  {Problem 
of  Suffering,  p.  57).  The  verse  in  its  first  two  lines  would  thus  run ; 
*  And  one  made  (or  appointed)  with  the  wicked  his  grave. 
And  with  the  evildoers  his  sepulchre.' 

^  Evidently  reading  >bno  for  the  very  questionable  Hif  il  form 
'bnn  of  our  text. 

*  The  Piel  'p^,  in  Aramaic,  corresponds  to  the  Hebrew  n3l,  meaning 
'cleanse,'  purify.     The  question  arises  whether  we  may  not  assume, 


ISAIAH  53.  II  207 

He  shall  see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  shall  be  n 
satisfied :  by  his  knowledge  shall  my  righteous  servant 

with  the  text,  and  would  substitute  for  the  above  word  another, 
viz.  'justify' :  '  Yahweh  was  pleased  to  justify  him,'  thus  bringing 
the  passage  into  harmony  with  the  earlier  Servant-passage,  1.  8  ^, 
But  there  is  absolutely  no  warrant  for  this. 

Now  when  we  glance  over  the  contents  of  this  verse  it  will  be 
seen  that  it  is  the  LXX  rendering  which  places  us  at  the  right 
point  of  view.  In  the  former  days  of  the  Martyi'-servant's  affliction 
'we  thought  him  plague-struck  and  smitten  of  God,'  and  so  an 
object  to  be  shunned.  But  now  the  true  view  of  God's  purpose 
as  discipline,  which  is  both  purifying  to  His  servant  and  atoning 
for  others,  is  clearly  set  forth,  as  well  as  the  ultimate  restoration 
of  the  servant  and  his  posterity. 

'  Yet  Yahweh  was  pleased  to  cleanse  him  from  disease. 
Though  thou^  make  his  life  a  sin-offering, 
He  shall  behold  posterity— shall  prolong  life. 
And  the  pleasure  of  Yahweh  shall  prosper  in  his  hand.' 

In  the  latter  portion  of  this  verse  we  have  followed  the  traditional 
Hebrew  text  and  arrangement,  which  yield  an  excellent  sense. 
The  LXX  render  as  follows  :  '  And  Yahweh  is  pleased  to  rescue 
from  the  trouble  of  his  soul  ^.'  Here  we  have  a  different  text  as 
well  as  punctuation,  which  connects  the  last  line  with  the  opening 
words  of  the  following  verse  (verse  11). 

11.  The  speech  of  the  representative  or  representatives  of  the 
Gentile   nations   ends    with   the   preceding   verse.     The    solemn 

as  Duhm  does,  that  the  Hebrew  word  was  understood  in  the 
.Aramaic  sense  (since  the  influence  of  Aramaic  we  know  to  have 
prevailed  very  widely  among  the  Jewish  diaspora  in  Babylonia 
and  in  Egypt),  or  emend  the  text  to  iniJj,  its  proper  Hebrew  form. 

^  KJ.,  p.  109. 

^  LXX  make  this  second  pers.  plur.  The  second  pers.  sing,  here 
can  only  be  understood  as  the  momentary  address  to  Yahweh  by  the 
Gentile  spokesman  who  elsewhere  speaks  of  Yahweh  in  the  third 
person.  Hebrew  style  is  much  more  flexible  than  our  own,  which 
conforms  to  a  rigid  artificial  uniformity.  Lowth  would  punctuate  the 
verb  as  a  passive  :  'Though  his  life  be  made  a  sin-offering.'  Others 
would  render:  'Though  his  soul  (i.e.  he  himself)  should  make 
a  sin-offering.'  Both  are  possible  solutions.  Giesebrecht's  suggested 
emendation,  D^xri  for  D^UJFi,  'Though  his  soul  take  on  itself  the 
guilt,'  is  very  ingenious  and  attractive  {KJ-y  p.  no). 

^  Obviously  an  error  for  '  rescue  his  soul  from  trouble.' 


2o8  ISAIAH  53.  12 

12  justify  many  :  and  he  shall  bear  their  iniquities.     There- 
fore will  I  divide  him  a  portion  with  the  great,  and  he 

judgment-scene  closes,  as  it  opened,  with  the  words  of  Yahweh. 
This  is  evident  from  the  first  person  which  occurs  in  verses  11  and 
12.  Perhaps  an  introductory  hne  may  have  preceded  verse  11, 
beginning  'Thus  saith  Yahweh  .  .  .'  Here  again  we  are  beset 
with  difficulties  as  to  text.  The  question  which  the  scholar  has  to 
decide  is,  how  far  he  is  to  defer  to  the  LXX  and  abandon  the 
Massoretic  tradition.  If  we  follow  this  course  we  have  to  assume 
that  the  speech  of  the  Gentile  spokesman  continues  in  this  verse. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  we  follow  our  traditional  Hebrew  text, 
which  we  consider  the  safer  course,  making  such  modifications  as 
the  LXX,  sense,  metre,  or  grammatical  construction  may  require, 
we  may  adopt  the  following  as  the  translation  based  on  a  fairly 
probable  text  (amid  manifest  and  numerous  signs  of  textual 
corruption).     It  is  not  possible  to  attempt  more  : — 

'  Through  the  travail  of  his  soul  shall  he  see  light  ^  in  fullness  ; 
By  his  knowledge  shall  my  servant  bring  justification  to  many, 
And  of  their  guilt  shall  he  bear  the  burden.' 

Here  in  the  first  line  the  word  '  light,'  which  occurs  in  the  LXX 
version,  has  evidently  dropped  out  of  our  Hebrew  text  and  should 
be  restored.  '  Light  '  is  here  used  in  the  sense  of  '  prosperity,' 
*  happiness.'  In  the  second  line  of  the  above  rendering  we  have 
omitted  the  adjective  *  righteous,'  as  (i)  it  involves  a  clumsy 
appositional  construction  in  the  original;  (2)  evidently  arises 
through  dittography  ;  (3)  overweights  the  metric  length  of  the 
line^ 

12.  Therefore  (i.  e.  on  the  ground  of  the  sufferings  through 
which  he  has  passed  and  their  atoning  efficacy)  *  I  will  divide  him 
a  portion  among  many.'  In  the  Hebrew  text,  as  it  is  punctuated 
by  the  Massoretes,  we  read  *  the  many  '  (with  definite  article). 
But  the  following  clause  has  no  definite  article  before  '  strong.' 

^  Literally,  'shall  see  light,  shall  be  satiated.' 

^  We  append  the  LXX  version  in  its  entirety  from  the  latter  part 
of  verse  10  (already  quoted) :  '  And  the  Lord  (i.  e.  Yahweh)  is 
pleased  to  rescue  from  the  travail  of  his  soul  (verse  11),  to  show 
unto  him  light  and  to  fill  (adopting  Schleusner's  conjecture  -nXriaai 
which  Ottley  accepts)  with  understanding  to  justify  a  righteous  one 
who  serves  many  well  [?].'  The  writer  is  unable  to  follow  Giese- 
brecht  or  Marti  in  their  attempted  reconstructions,  partly  based  on 
the  above  data.  Little  is  to  be  gained  for  O.  T.  textual  reconstruc- 
tion by  such  free  methods  as  these  scholars,  as  well  as  Duhm,  have 
brought  into  play  in  the  closing  verses  of  this  chapter. 


ISAIAH  53.  12  209 

shall  divide  the  spoil  with  the  strong ;  because  he  poured 
out  his  soul  unto  death,  and  was  numbered  with  the 


We  have  therefore  (with  Duhm)  omitted  it  here  in  the  first  clause 
before  '  many.'  *  And  with  strong  ones  he  shall  divide  booty.' 
The  metaphor  is  that  of  warfare.  The  victorious  warrior  returns 
with  the  scars  of  battle  upon  him,  and  his  king  awards  him  due 
share  in  the  spoils.  The  word  in  the  original  rendered  '  many ' 
{rabb'mi)  may  also  be  translated  '  mighty,'  and  this  agrees  better 
with  the  word  '  strong '  in  the  next  clause.  The  same  word, 
however,  occurs  later  in  the  verse  in  the  sense  of  *  many,'  and  it 
is  hardly  probable  that  it  can  have  been  employed  in  two  distinct 
senses  in  the  same  verse. 

The  grounds  for  the  high  honour  bestowed  on  the  martyred 
servant  are  once  more  emphasized  at  the  close  of  the  poem, 
since  the  dominant  idea  in  the  mind  of  the  poet  is  the  glory  of 
vicarious  suffering.  This  is  the  earliest  expression  of  a  conception 
(viz.  the  atoning  value  of  the  sufferings  of  pious  men)  which 
attained  wide  development  in  later  times,  and  constantly  meets  us 
in  the  teachings  of  the  Jewish  Synagogue.  We  have  a  clear  and 
vivid  example  of  it  during  the  struggles  of  the  time  of  Antiochus 
Epiphanes,  when  sufferings  were  endured  by  pious  martyrs  for 
the  Jewish  faith.  One  of  the  seven  brothers  prays  that  *  in  me 
and  my  brothers  the  wrath  of  the  Almighty  may  be  appeased 
which  has  justly  passed  upon  all  our  race'  (2  Mace.  vii.  38).  '  Be 
gracious  unto  thy  people,  and  let  the  punishment  which  we  endure 
for  them  suffice  thee.  Let  my  blood  serve  for  purification,  and  as 
equivalent  for  their  life  {avriipyxov)  take  my  own '  (4  Mace.  vi. 
29;  cf.  i.  II,  ix.  24,  xvii.  20-22,  xviii.  4).  Lastly,  Jesus  regards 
His  own  death  as  a  '  ransom  equivalent  for  many '  (Mark  x.  45)  ^. 
In  still  later  Judaism  the  doctrine  was  carried  to  what  appear  to 
us  extravagant  lengths,  and  was  connected  with  the  widely 
prevailing  doctrine  of  merit  which  played  so  great  a  part  in  Jewish 
soteriology.  In  order  to  understand  it,  it  must  be  recollected 
that  the  integral  solidarity  of  the  race  was  a  fundamental  axiom  of 
thought,  and  our  modern  individualism,  with  its  severe  and  im- 
penetrable walls  of  personality,  was  entirely  foreign  to  the  Jewish 
(which  was  also  the  Pauline)  mind.  The  race  is  of  one  blood. 
Hence  what  individual  righteousness  could  not  obtain,  it  could 
supplement  by  the  righteousness  of  pious  forefathers  and  even 
contemporaries.  In  the  words  of  the  tract  Sanhedrin  (27  b)  :  '  One 
Israelite  is  guarantee  for  another.'  The  student  will  find  this 
subject  treated  with  copious  illustrations  in  Weber's  System  der 

^  See  Bousset,  Religion  des  yudentums  (2nd  ed.),  p.  228  foil. 
P 


2IO  ISAIAH  53.  13—64.  i 

1 2  transgressors :  yet  he  bare  the  sin  of  many,  and  made 

intercession  for  the  transgressors.] 
54      Sing,  O  barren,  thou  that  didst  not  bear ;  break  forth 

altsyuagogalen    Paldstinischen     Theologie     (now    called    Jildische 
Theologie),  pp.  a8o  foil. 

We  are  passing  into  a  more  debatable  region  when  we  press 
our  inquiry  into  the  historic  roots  of  this  conception  of  the  atoning 
death.  Gressmann,  in  his  recent  stimulating  work  (in  German) 
on  The  Origin  of  Israelite- Jewish  Eschatology^  pp.  328  foil.,  follows 
up  the  clues  suggested  twenty  years  ago  in  Robertson  Smith's 
great  treatise  Religion  of  the  Semites.  "We  have  to  go  back  to  the 
days  of  hoary  antiquity,  when  gods  and  men  were  kin,  out  of  which 
the  primitive  notions  of  sacrifice  arose.  We  may  find  the  clue  in 
the  conception  expressed  in  cultus  and  its  accompanying  myth  of 
the  piacular  death  of  the  god  which  passed  over  into  the  ritual 
of  the  atoning  death  of  the  animals  ;  cf.  especially  the  mysterious 
rite  of  the  goat  for  Azazel  (Lev.  xvi.  21  foil.) ;  see  Religion  of  the 
Semites'^,  pp.  410  foil.  That  the  ultimate  antecedents  of  the  ideas 
expressed  in  Isa,  liii  undoubtedly  belong  to  primitive  antiquity 
cannot  be  denied  by  any  one  who  believes  that  the  Hebrews 
formed  an  integral  part  of  the  Semitic  branch  of  the  great  human 
life-tree.  We  gravely  question,  however,  whether  Gressmann, 
in  accentuating  the  elements  of  mystery  which  unquestionably 
belong  to  Isa.  liii  and  its  portraiture  of  the  Martyr-servant,  has  1 
not  exaggerated  the  direct  influence  of  mythology  in  this  chapter.- 
Certainly  we  cannot  place  it  on  the  same  level  with  the  obvious 
mythological  traits  in  li.  9.  We  maintain  that  that  influence  was 
indirect,  yet  potent  in  the  present  case. 

Chapter  LIV. 

Jerusalem's  Future  Prosperity  and  Glory, 

There  is  obviously  no  actual  connexion  between  this  chapter 
and  the  preceding  section  lii,  13 — liii.  12.  What  influenced  the 
Deutero-Isaiah  or  the  redactor  in  adopting  this  succession  of 
passages  is  probably  to  be  found  in  the  concluding  verses  of  the 
preceding  chapter  (liii.  11,  12),  which  portray  God's  final  vindica- 
tion of  His  Servant.  This  concluding  note  in  the  last  of  the 
Servant-passages  furnishes  a  superficial  //«^  of  connexion  analogous 
to  many  others  in  the  sequence  of  the  varied  passages  of  O.  T. 
prophecy  as  we  find  them  in  our  text.  But  the  actual  link  of 
connexion  is  with  li.  17 — lii.  12.  Zion  is  compared  to  a  barren 
woman  during  exile,  cf.  xlix.  20  foil.  See  notes  on  xlix.  14  foil., 
1.  I.     Yet  she  now  finds  herself  endowed  with  more  children  than 


ISAIAH  54.  2-4  211 

into  singing,  and  cry  aloud,  thou  that  didst  not  travail 
with  child  :  for  more  are  the  children  of  the  desolate  than 
the  children  of  the  married  wife,  saith  the  Lord.  Enlarge  2 
the  place  of  thy  tent,  and  let  them  stretch  forth  the  cur- 
tains of  thine  habitations;  spare  not:  lengthen  thy  cords, 
and  strengthen  thy  stakes.  For  thou  shalt  spread  abroad  3 
on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left;  and  thy  seed  shall 
possess  the  nations,  and  make  the  desolate  cities  to  be 
inhabited.     Fear  not ;  for  thou  shalt  not  be  ashamed :  4 

a  married  woman  has  in  normal  circumstances  (cf.  verse  i),  i.  e. 
than  Zion  possessed  in  the  days  that  preceded  the  exile.  Verses 
1-6  appear  to  form  a  metrical  unity — each  verse  containing 
a  couplet.  Zion  is  to  sing,  for  she  is  to  receive  a  great  accession 
of  population,  and  this  will  necessitate  the  extension  of  her  borders 
and  the  restoration  of  Judah's  desolated  towns,  which  shall  once 
more  be  inhabited.  Old  griefs  and  the  days  when  Yahweh  the 
husband  of  Zion  withdrew  shall  be  now  forgotten  (verse  4). 
Yahweh  returns  to  the  forsaken  wife. 

1.  The  language  re-echoes  xhv.  23.  The  word  rendered  sixLif 
means  the  utterance  of  a  clear  ringing  cry.  Similarly  the  verb 
rendered  cry  aloud  is  descriptive  of  a  high-pitched  voice  (cf. 
Isa.  X.  30),  employed  in  Jer.  v.  8  in  reference  to  the  neighing  of 
horses.  It  is  the  natural  expression  of  strong  emotion,  whether 
of  joy  or  fear. 

2.  The  conceptions  here  are  those  of  xlix.  18-21  (cf.  especially 
verse  19).  The  LXX  does  not  contain  the  word  here  rendered 
habitations,  and  it  probably  did  not  belong  to  the  original  text. 
Duhm  is  justified  in  omitting  it  as  a  gloss,  as  it  overweights  the 
metre.  Translate :  *  Let  them  stretch  out  the  curtains  '  (or  '  tent- 
hangings '  ;  cf.  Exod.  xxvi.  i).  'Withhold  not.  Extend  thy 
cords,  make  fast  thy  tent-pegs.'     Cf.  Jer.  x.  20,  and  Isa.  xxxiii.  20. 

3  contains  only  one  and  a  half  instead  of  two  full  lines.  Duhm 
and  Marti  seem  justified  in  assuming  that  a  half-line  is  omitted 
before  the  opening  of  this  verse.  Spread  abroad  in  the  original 
is  more  emphatic,  '  break  forth.'  There  seems  here  to  be  a  re- 
miniscence of  Gen.  xxviii,  14  (J).  Sig-ht  and  left,  according  to 
Semitic  usage  (cf.  the  Arabic)  mean  south  and  north  respectively. 
'And  desolated  cities  they  shall  populate,'  i.e.  the  cities  left 
deserted  and  in  ruins  by  the  Babylonian  invasions  of  597  and 
587  B.  c.  under  Nebuchadrezzar. 

4.  It  is  probable  that  the  ideas  of  Ezek.  xvi.  4-8,  the  beautiful 
long-wrought   parable   of   Israel's  earlier  relations    to  Yahweh, 

P   2 


212  ISAIAH  54.  5-8 

neither  be  thou  confounded ;  for  thou  shalt  not  be  put 
to  shame :  for  thou  shalt  forget  the  shame  of  thy  youth, 
and  the  reproach  of  thy  widowhood  shalt  thou  remember 

5  no  more.  For  thy  Maker  is  thine  husband ;  the  Lord 
of  hosts  is  his  name :  and  the  Holy  one  of  Israel  is  thy 
redeemer ;  the  God  of  the  whole  earth  shall  he  be  called. 

6  For  the  Lord  hath  called  thee  as  a  wife  forsaken  and 
grieved  in  spirit,  even  a  wife  of  youth,  when  she  is  cast 

7  off,  saith  thy  God.    For  a  small  moment  have  I  forsaken 
S  thee ;   but  with  great  mercies  will  I  gather  thee.     In 

influenced  the  mind  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  when  he  wrote  the 
words  the  shame  of  thy  youth.  They  refer  to  the  early  period 
of  the  affliction  of  Israel  in  Egypt,  and  subsequently  the  time  of 
her  humiliation  by  the  Assyrians.  The  widowhood,  on  the  other 
hand,  refers  to  the  period  of  the  exile  when  Yahweh  withdrew 
from  His  people  (though  He  did  not  forget  them),  His  own 
abode  and  temple  in  Jerusalem  having  been  destroyed.  Now 
that  Jerusalem  and  its  temple  are  restored,  He  returns  (cf.  the 
notes  on  xlix.  14-21  and  li.  ifoll.). 

6.  Our  R.  V.  misses  the  significance  and  power  of  the  last 
clause  first  clearly  perceived  by  Ewald.  Render :  *  And  a  wife 
of  youth — to  think  that  she  should  be  rejected!  saith  thy  God^.' 

7-8.  Another  utterance  of  comfort.  The  exile  is  here  spoken 
of  as  but  a  brief  interval  in  the  great  sweep  of  past  and  future 
history.  This  is  characteristic  of  the  optimism  of  the  prophet, 
who  stands  in  this  respect  contrasted  with  his  pre-exilian  pre- 
decessors of  the  eighth  and  seventh  centuries,  who  proclaimed 
the  wrath  of  Yahweh,  who  visited  Israel  with  successive  judg- 
ments (Isa.  ii.  12-21,  V,  vi.  11-13,  ix.  8  foil.)  as  chastisements 
for  unfaithfulness  and  wrong.  The  chastisements  are  now  past, 
and  are  regarded  as  mere  incidents  (xl.  i).  This  tone  of  feeling 
is  reflected  in  Psalm  literature.  God's  anger  is  but  momentary ; 
Ps.  XXX.  5  (6  Heb.).  The  first  half  of  verse  8  certainly  appears 
too  overweighted  with  words  to  be  metrically  correct.  At  the 
same  time  it  is  hardly  possible  to  delete  from  the  Hebrew  text 
the  word  rega  ('for  a  moment'),  as  Duhm  and  Marti  propose, 
since  its  presence  is  required  by  the  word  for  everlastingr  in  the 

*  The  particle  ki  followed  by  the  imperf.  should  be  understood 
here  somewhat  in  the  same  way  as  in  Gen.  iii.  i.  See  the  idiom 
explained  in  Ewald's  Ausfuhrliches  Lehrbuch  der  Heb.  Sprache 
{^Hebrew  Syntax,  T.  &  T.  Clark),  330  b  and  354  c. 


ISAIAH  54.  9,  lo  213 

overflowing  wrath  I  hid  my  face  from  thee  for  a  moment ; 
but  with  everlasting  kindness  will  I  have  mercy  on  thee, 
saith  the  Lord  thy  redeemer.  For  this  is  as  the  waters  9 
of  Noah  unto  me  :  for  as  I  have  sworn  that  the  waters  of 
Noah  should  no  more  go  over  the  earth,  so  have  I  sworn 
that  I  would  not  be  wroth  with  thee,  nor  rebuke  thee. 
For  the  mountains  shall  depart,  and  the  hills  be  removed;  ic 
but  my  kindness  shall  not  depart  from  thee,  neither  shall 

corresponding  antithetic  parallel  clause.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
Hebrew  word  which  corresponds  to  overflowing-  {shesef)  does 
not  occur  elsewhere,  and  looks  like  a  corruption  of  the  word  that 
follows  meaning  '  wrath '  (kesef),  and  was  probably  only  retained 
by  a  copyist  owing  to  the  use  of  the  proper  word  for  the  same 
idea  in  a  similar  connexion  in  Prov.  xxvii.  4  ^  Accordingly  the 
line  in  its  original  form  read  thus  : — 

*  In  wrath  I  hid  my  face  for  a  moment,  but  with  everlasting 
loving-kindness  I  have  compassion  on  thee.' 

Verses  9-10.  A  third  titterance  of  comfort.  A  new  and  eternal 
covenant  of  peace  and  mercy.  We  have  here  a  reminiscence 
derived  from  Gen.  viii.  21  fell.  (J2),  the  covenant  with  Noah. 

O.  Several  minor  corrections  of  the  Hebrew  text  are  shown  by 
the  ancient  versions  to  be  necessary.  Accordingly  translate  as 
follows  with  R.  V.  marg.  : — 

'  As  in  the  days  ^  of  Noah  has  this  come  to  pass  unto  me  : 
As  I  swore — that  the  waters  of  Noah  should  no  more  come 

over  the  earth — 
So  have  I  sworn — that  I  would  not  be  wrathful  against  thee 
nor  chide  thee.' 

10.  The  opening  clause  should  be  taken  in  a  concessive  sense  : — 

'Though  the  mountains  withdraw — and  the  hills  shake, 
My  loving-kindness  shall  not  withdraw  from  thee,  nor  my 
covenant  of  friendship  shake.' 

^  The  LXX  have  no  word  for  '  overflowing '  in  their  text,  but  it 
evidently  suffered  also  from  the  dittography  of  the  word  for  *  wrath.* 
Their  Hebrew  text  corrupted  the  second  word  into  the  word  for 
'little,'  which  occurs  in  verse  7.  They  render:  *In  a  little  wrath  I 
turned  away  my  face  from  thee.' 

"^  So  Symm.,  Vulg.,  Targ.,  Pes.,  and  some  old  Hebrew  MSS.,  and 
most  modern  critics,  including  Lovvth  and  Delitzsch, 


214  ISAIAH  54.  I  J,  12 

my  covenant  of  peace  be  removed,  saith  the  Lord  that 
hath  mercy  on  thee. 

11  O  thou  afflicted,  tossed  with  tempest,  and  not  com- 
forted, behold,  I  will  set  thy  stones  in  fair  colours,  and 

12  lay  thy  foundations  with  sapphires.    And  I  will  make  thy 
pinnacles  of  rubies,  and  thy  gates  of  carbuncles,  and  all 

Verses  11-17.  The  New  Jerusalem.  Jerusalem  shall  arise  rebuilt 
with  splendour.  Corresponding  to  the  external  glory  of  its 
foundations  and  buildings  shall  be  the  inner  ethical  nobility  of  its 
people  who  shall  dwell  in  righteousness,  security,  and  peace. 

11.  The  word  here  rendered  by  fair  colours  {piikh)  properly 
means  the  stibmni, '  antimony,'  or,  more  accurately  stated,  sulphuret 
of  antimony  (called  in  Greek  arifx/xi  or  aTififiis),  corresponding  to 
the  kohl  used  by  the  Orientals  at  the  present  day.  This  substance 
was  used  in  painting  the  eyes  and  eyebrows  of  fashionable  women 
(such  as  Jezebel  in  2  Kings  ix.  30)  in  order  to  give  them  a  more 
distinctive  appearance.  The  stibium  consisted  of  black  metallic 
powder,  which  was  applied  partly  in  a  dry  state  and  partly  as 
ointment  to  the  eyelids  and  brows.  It  was  supposed  that  the 
dark  rim  enhanced  the  brilliant  appearance  of  the  eyes.  See 
Hebrew  Antiquities  (pub.  R.  T.  S.),  pp.  54  foil.,  with  figures  of 
ornamented  face  and  kohl  vessels.  Ewald  and  Dillmann  held 
that  the  meaning  of  the  passage  is  that  instead  of  the  stones  being 
laid  in  ordinary  mortar  they  were  to  be  laid  in  this  black  stibium, 
so  that  they  would  gleam  forth  like  a  woman's  brilliant  eyes. 
This  pretty  conceit  certainly  harmonizes  with  the  consistent 
representation  of  Zion  as  ic^minine.  On  the  other  hand,  it  does 
not  harmonize  with  the  comext,  and  especially  with  the  parallel 
clause,  which  would  lead  us  to  expect  that  the  word  ptikh 
designates  some  precious  stone.  Accordingly  it  has  been  suggested 
by  Wellhausen  that  another  word  for  precious  stone,  viz.  nophekh, 
should  be  read  here  in  place  of  ptikh  1,  meaning  probably  *  car- 
buncle,' Exod.  xxviii.  18,  xxxix.  11  ;  Ezek.  xxvii.  16,  xxviii.  13 
(so  LXX,  Vulg.,  Josephus).  Others,  as  Kittel,  prefer  to  render 
by  onyx. 

12.  Similarly  the  'battlements'  (or  pinnacles,  R.  V.)  are  to  be 
set  in  rubies  (?).  The  word  here  rendered  by  '  rubies '  is  very 
obscure.  LXX  and  Vulg.  interpret  it  as  meaning  jasper,  S3'^mm, 
renders  by  chalcedony.  It  must  be  confessed  that  the  rendering 
*  rubies '  is  tentative.     Similarly  we  are  in  doubt  as  to  the  word 

^  On  the  other  hand,  Klostermann  would  understand  ^^M  here  in 
the  sense  of  nophekh. 


ISAIAH  54.  13-15  215 

thy  border  of  pleasant  stones.    And  all  thy  children  shall  13 
be  taught  of  the  Lord  ;  and  great  shall  be  the  peace  of 
thy  children.    In  righteousness  shalt  thou  be  established:  14 
thou  shalt  be  far  from  oppression,  for  thou  shalt  not  fear; 
and  from  terror,  for  it  shall  not  come  near  thee.    Behold,  15 
they  may  gather  together,  but  not  by  me:  whosoever  shall 

for  carbuncles,  which  the  LXX  interpret  as  *  crystal,'  whereas 
Aq.,  Symm.,  and  Vulg.,  in  their  uncertainty,  simply  render  by 
'engraved  (or  carved)  stones.' 

The  reader  will  not  fail  to  note  that  in  Rev.  xxi.  t8-2I  we  have 
a  more  highly  elaborated  portrayal  of  the  buildings  of  the  *  holy 
city,  the  new  Jerusalem'  suggested  by  the  verses  11,  12.  There 
can  be  little  doubt  that  the  Deutero-Isaiah  was  influenced  by  the 
ideals  of  the  restored  Jerusalem  contained  in  Ezek.  xl-xlviii. 

Verses  13-14.  As  is  the  outward  so  is  the  inward.  The  inhabi- 
tants are  to  be  a  righteous  people  taught  of  God. 

13.  It  has  been  suggested  that  by  a  slight  change  in  the  vowel 
pronunciation  (as  in  xlix.  17)  we  should  render  :  '  All  thy  builders 
shall  be  taught  of  God,'  instead  of  '  all  thy  sons,  Sec'  This  is 
supported  by  most  recent  critics,  Gratz,  Duhm,  Kittel,  and 
Cheyne.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  proposed  to  make  the  same 
change  in  the  word  for  '  my  sons '  in  the  original  at  the  close 
of  the  verse.  No  support  is  given  in  the  versions  (LXX,  &c.)  to 
the  proposed  emendation  at  the  beginning  of  the  verse,  and  it 
is  difficult  to  see  what  is  gained  by  the  alteration.  The  Hebrews 
had  no  such  antipathy  to  repetitions  or  tautology  of  expression 
that  we  have.  Nor  does  the  following  clause,  which  opens 
verse  14,  require  the  proposed  change. 

14.  Instead  of  shalt  thou  be  established  the  punctuation  of 
the  Hebrew  text  would  require  the  translation  of  the  reflexive 
[Hithpael)  form  by  '  thou  shalt  found  thyself,'  the  city  of  Jerusa- 
lem being  apostrophized  (cf.  the  same  formation  in  Num.  xxi. 
27  ;  Prov.  xxiv.  3).  On  the  other  hand,  by  a  different  vocalization 
of  the  Hebrew  text  we  obtain  a  passive  form,  which  would  be 
rendered  as  the  R.V.  above  gives  it. 

15  is  certainly  not  free  from  difficulty,  and  some  have  doubted 
whether  it  was  written  by  the  Deutero-Isaiah.  It  would  be  best 
to  follow  Hitzig,  Ewald,  Duhm,  and  Kittel  in  taking  the  verb  in 
the  opening  clause  not  in  the  sense  of  gather  tog-ether  (as  R.  V. 
understands  it),  but  in  that  of  '  stir  up  strife  '  (with  R.V.  marg.). 
Accordingly  the  verse  should  be  rendered  : 

*  Should  one   stir  up  strife,   it  is   not  from    me ; — w^hosoever 
contends  with  thee  shall  fall  against  thee.' 
The  meaning  is  fairly  clear.     In  the  olden  time  Yahweh  stirred 


214  ISAIAH  54.  I  J,  12 

my  covenant  of  peace  be  removed,  saith  the  Lord  that 
hath  mercy  on  thee. 

11  O  thou  afflicted,  tossed  with  tempest,  and  not  com- 
forted, behold,  I  will  set  thy  stones  in  fair  colours,  and 

12  lay  thy  foundations  with  sapphires.    And  I  will  make  thy 
pinnacles  of  rubies,  and  thy  gates  of  carbuncles,  and  all 

Verses  11-17.  The  New  Jerusalem.  Jerusalem  shall  arise  rebuilt 
with  splendour.  Corresponding  to  the  external  glory  of  its 
foundations  and  buildings  shall  be  the  inner  ethical  nobihty  of  its 
people  who  shall  dwell  in  righteousness,  security,  and  peace. 

11.  The  word  here  rendered  by  fair  colours  {piikh)  properly 
means  the  stibmnt, '  antimony,'  or,  more  accurately  stated,  sulphuret 
of  antimony  (called  in  Greek  arifx/xi  or  arifj-fxis),  corresponding  to 
the  kohl  used  by  the  Orientals  at  the  present  day.  This  substance 
was  used  in  painting  the  eyes  and  eyebrows  of  fashionable  women 
(such  as  Jezebel  in  2  Kings  ix.  30)  in  order  to  give  them  a  more 
distinctive  appearance.  The  stibmm  consisted  of  black  metallic 
powder,  which  was  applied  partly  in  a  dry  state  and  partly  as 
ointment  to  the  eyelids  and  brows.  It  was  supposed  that  the 
dark  rim  enhanced  the  brilliant  appearance  of  the  eyes.  See 
Hebrew  Antiquities  (pub.  R.  T.  S.),  pp.  54  foil.,  with  figures  of 
ornamented  face  and  kohl  vessels.  Ewald  and  Dillmann  held 
that  the  meaning  of  the  passage  is  that  instead  of  the  stones  being 
laid  in  ordinary  mortar  they  were  to  be  laid  in  this  black  stibium^ 
so  that  they  would  gleam  forth  like  a  woman's  brilliant  eyes. 
This  pretty  conceit  certainly  harmonizes  with  the  consistent 
representation  of  Zion  as  u^minine.  On  the  other  hand,  it  does 
not  harmonize  with  the  comext,  and  especially  with  the  parallel 
clause,  which  would  lead  us  to  expect  that  the  word  pukh 
designates  some  precious  stone.  Accordingly  it  has  been  suggested 
by  Wellhausen  that  another  word  for  precious  stone,  viz.  nophekh, 
should  be  read  here  in  place  of  pUkh  ^,  meaning  probably  *  car- 
buncle,' Exod.  xxviii.  18,  xxxix.  11  ;  Ezek.  xxvii.  16,  xxviii,  13 
(so  LXX,  Vulg.,  Josephus).  Others,  as  Kittel,  prefer  to  render 
by  onyx. 

12.  Similarly  the  'battlements'  (or  pinnacles,  R.  V.)  are  to  be 
set  in  rubies  (?).  The  word  here  rendered  by  '  rubies '  is  very 
obscure.  LXX  and  Vulg.  interpret  it  as  meaning  jasper,  Symm. 
renders  by  chalcedony.  It  must  be  confessed  that  the  rendering 
*  rubies '  is  tentative.     Similarly  we  are  in  doubt  as  to  the  word 

^  On  the  other  hand,  Klostermann  would  understand  pilkh  here  in 
the  sense  of  nophekh. 


ISAIAH  54.  13-15  215 

thy  border  of  pleasant  stones.    And  all  thy  children  shall  13 
be  taught  of  the  Lord  ;  and  great  shall  be  the  peace  of 
thy  children.    In  righteousness  shalt  thou  be  established:  14 
thou  shalt  be  far  from  oppression,  for  thou  shalt  not  fear; 
and  from  terror,  for  it  shall  not  come  near  thee.    Behold,  15 
they  may  gather  together,  but  not  by  me :  whosoever  shall 

for  carbuncles,  which  the  LXX  interpret  as  'crystal,'  whereas 
Aq.,  Symm.,  and  Vulg.,  in  their  uncertainty,  simply  render  by 
'engraved  (or  carved)  stones.' 

The  reader  will  not  fail  to  note  that  in  Rev.  xxi.  t8-2i  we  have 
a  more  highly  elaborated  portrayal  of  the  buildings  of  the  'holy 
city,  the  new  Jerusalem'  suggested  by  the  verses  11,  12.  There 
can  be  little  doubt  that  the  Deutero-Isaiah  was  influenced  by  the 
ideals  of  the  restored  Jerusalem  contained  in  Ezek.  xl-xlviii. 

Verses  13-14.  As  is  the  outward  so  is  the  inward.  The  inhabi- 
tants are  to  be  a  righteous  people  taught  of  God. 

13.  It  has  been  suggested  that  by  a  slight  change  in  the  vowel 
pronunciation  (as  in  xlix.  17)  we  should  render  :  '  All  thy  builders 
shall  be  taught  of  God,'  instead  of  '  all  thy  sons,  &c.'  This  is 
supported  by  most  recent  critics,  Gratz,  Duhm,  Kittel,  and 
Cheyne.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  proposed  to  make  the  same 
change  in  the  word  for  '  my  sons '  in  the  original  at  the  close 
of  the  verse.  No  support  is  given  in  the  versions  (LXX,  &c.)  to 
the  proposed  emendation  at  the  beginning  of  the  verse,  and  it 
is  difficult  to  see  what  is  gained  by  the  alteration.  The  Hebrews 
had  no  such  antipathy  to  repetitions  or  tautology  of  expression 
that  we  have.  Nor  does  the  following  clause,  which  opens 
verse  14,  require  the  proposed  change. 

14.  Instead  of  shalt  thou  be  established  the  punctuation  of 
the  Hebrew  text  would  require  the  translation  of  the  reflexive 
{Hithpael)  form  by  '  thou  shalt  found  thyself,'  the  city  of  Jerusa- 
lem being  apostrophized  (cf.  the  same  formation  in  Num.  xxi. 
27  ;  Prov.  xxiv.  3).  On  the  other  hand,  by  a  different  vocalization 
of  the  Hebrew  text  we  obtain  a  passive  form,  which  would  be 
rendered  as  the  R.V.  above  gives  it. 

15  is  certainly  not  free  from  difficulty,  and  some  have  doubted 
whether  it  was  written  by  the  Deutero-Isaiah.  It  would  be  best 
to  follow  Hitzig,  Ewald,  Duhm,  and  Kittel  in  taking  the  verb  in 
the  opening  clause  not  in  the  sense  of  g-ather  togfether  (as  R.  V. 
understands  it),  but  in  that  of  *  stir  up  strife  '  (with  R.V.  marg.). 
Accordingly  the  verse  should  be  rendered  : 

*  Should  one   stir  up  strife,   it  is   not  from    me ; — v^^hosoever 
contends  with  thee  shall  fall  against  thee.' 
The  meaning  is  fairly  clear.     In  the  olden  time  Yahweh  stirred 


2i6  ISAIAH  54.  r6-55.  i 

gather  together  against  thee  shall  fall  because  of  thee. 

i6  Behold,  I  have  created  the  smith  that  bloweth  the  fire  of 
coals,  and  bringeth  forth  a  weapon  for  his  work ;  and  I 

17  have  created  the  waster  to  destroy.     No  weapon  that  is 

formed  against  thee  shall  prosper  ;  and  every  tongue  that 

shall  rise  against  thee  in  judgement  thou  shalt  condemn. 

This  is  the  heritage  of  the  servants  of  the  Lord,  and  their 

righteousness  which  is  of  me,  saith  the  Lord. 

65      Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters, 

up  the  foes  who  attacked  Israel,  such  as  the  Assyrians  and 
Babylonians,  who  inflicted  the  chastisements  of  Divine  wrath 
(Amos  ii.  4-16,  v,  vi,  viii  ;  Isa.  ii,  iii,  v,  vi-viii  ^ ;  Mic.  i-iii,  and 
Jeremiah  passim)  for  disobedience  ;  but  now  Yahweh  takes  the 
side  of  Zion  against  her  foes  and  brings  about  the  downfall  of 
the  Latter.     *  Shall  fall  against  thee,'  i.  e.  in  his  attack  against  thee. 

16  appears  to  follow  in  natural  sequence  on  verse  15  rather 
than  on  verse  14.  Therefore  we  should  be  disposed  to  regard 
verse  15  as  genuine,  as  well  as  this  whose  genuineness  can  hardly 
be  disputed.  No  one  who  contends  against  Zion  can  succeed, 
since  God  has  omnipotent  control  and  creates  the  workman  who 
forges  the  weapons  of  war.  For  his  work  some  would  read 
with  R.  V.  (marg.)  '  its  work,'  i.  e.  the  work  or  function  of  the 
weapon.  On  the  other  hand,  others  would  refer  the  masculine 
possessive  suffix  to  the  workman,  and  render  (as  Ewald  does) 
'brings  forth  a  weapon  as"^  his  work,'  which  certainly  is  a  prefer- 
able as  well  as  more  natural  construction. 

17.  The  word  rig'hteousness  here  and  in  verse  14  includes 
the  conception  of  victory  and  well-being  which  Yahweh  has 
assured  to  the  restored  Zion-community  as  their  inheritance. 
Cf.  the  remarks  in  the  Introduction,  §  4. 

Chapter  LV. 
Invitation  to  accept  God's  proffered  Salvation. 
Verses  1-5  are  a  call  to  Israel  to  come  and  enjoy  in  the  restored 
Jerusalem  the  blessings  of  Yahweh's  eternal  covenant  with  His 
people.     'Him'  in  verse  4  refers  to  David  (Zerubbabel). 

^  The  passages  in  Isaiah  which  definitely  refer  to  Assyria  as  God's 
instrument  for  chastising  Israel  are :  vii.  iS,  20,  x.  5,  6. 

^  The  Hebrew  preposition  would  then  denote  the  product  or  result 
of  activity.  Others  would  assign  it  the  meaning,  which  it  sometimes 
bears,  'according  to,'  i.e.  according  to  his  (i.e.  the  workman's) 
function  '  (as  a  forger  of  iron  implements).  See  Gesenius-Kautzsch, 
Heh.  Gram.  "^^^  %  1 19.  3  c,  3  and  4. 


ISAIAH  55.  2,  3  217 

and  he  that  hath  no  money;  come  ye,  buy,  and  eat ;  yea, 
come,  buy  wine  and  milk  without  money  and  without 
price.  Wherefore  do  ye  spend  money  for  that  which  is  2 
not  bread  ?  and  your  labour  for  that  which  satisfieth  not? 
hearken  dih'gently  unto  me,  and  eat  ye  that  which  is  good, 
and  let  your  soul  delight  itself  in  fatness.  Incline  your  3 
ear,  and  come  unto  me ;  hear,  and  your  soul  shall  Hve : 

1.  The  thirsty  ones  are  bidden  to  come  and  obtain  for  themselves 
free  of  all  cost  the  blessings  which  God  will  bestow  on  this  new 
theocracy  at  Jerusalem.  These  blessings,  both  material  and  spiritual, 
are  expressed  in  the  terms  of  the  usual  forms  of  beverage  in  the 
Orient,  water,  wine,  and  milk,  all  of  which,  as  Kennedy  remarks 
in  reference  to  milk  [Enc.  Bibh,  s. v.),  'could  hardly  fail  to 
suggest  a  variety  of  figures  to  the  biblical  writers.'  Probably  we 
have  an  echo  of  the  present  passage  in  John  iv.  10-15,  vii.  37 ; 
Rev.  xxi.  6,  xxii.  17. 

2  is  evidently  an  appeal  to  the  Jewish  settler  in  foreign  lands, 
more  especially  in  Babylonia,  which  for  many  generations  bad 
been  the  land  of  commerce,  as  the  enormous  number  of  business 
transactions,  recorded  on  the  contract-tablets  ^  dug  out  in  vast 
multitudes  from  the  tells  or  mounds,  have  proved.  In  this  land, 
following  the  wise  advice  of  Jeremiah  (xxix.  4-7),  the  Jewish 
exiles  after  the  disasters  to  Jerusalem  of  597  and  587  b.  c.  had 
settled,  and  traded.  G.  Adam  Smith  pertinently  observes  that 
*it  was  in  Babylon  that  the  Jews  first  formed  those  mercantile 
habits  which  have  become  .  .  .  their  national  character. .  ,  .  They 
laboured  and  prospered  exceedingly,  gathering  property  and 
settling  in  comfort,'  and  in  too  many  instances,  as  we  have  seen 
(see  Introduction),  abandoned  the  religion  of  their  forefathers  for 
that  of  their  new  land  and  home.  From  this  eager  pursuit  of 
material  and  perishable  prosperity  the  prophet  seeks  by  his  appeal 
to  win  them  to  the  blessings  of  God's  eternal  covenant  with  the 
citizens  of  the  new  Jerusalem.  The  wealth  of  Babylonia  will  not 
satisfy  the  soul's  cravings.  It  cannot  be  called  'food'  (R.  V. 
'bread').  *  Eat  ye  what  is  wholesome  that  your  soul  may 
luxuriate  in  rich  food.'    For  labour  read  '  wealth  ' ;  cf.  xlv.  14  note. 

3-4.  Though  Jerusalem  was  not  to  be  without  material  blessings, 

^  We  use  here  the  current  term.  But  the  word  '  contract '  is 
somewhat  misleading.  *  Deeds/  or  '  Records  of  sale '  would  be  more 
appropriate.  An  interesting  description  will  be  found  in  Rev. 
C.  H.  W.  Johns's  Babylonian  and  Assyrian  La7vs,  Contracts,  and 
Letters,  pp.  10-13. 


2i8  ISAIAH  55.  4,5 

and  I  will  make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  yon,  even 

4  the  sure  mercies  of  David.    Behold,  I  have  given  him  for 
a  witness  to  the  peoples,  a  leader  and  commander  to  the 

5  peoples.     Behold,  thou   shalt  call  a  nation  that  thou 

it  is  evident  that  the  prophet's  thought  is  directed  to  the  ethical 
and  spiritual :  '  Hear  that  your  soul  may  live,  and  that  I  may 
conclude  with  you  an  eternal  covenant.'  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  his  mind  recurred  to  the  great  conception  of  Jeremiah's 
'  Nev^^  Covenant '  ( Jer.  xxxi.  27-34),  to  which  he  had  already 
referred  in  xHi.  6  foil.,  xlix.  8.  Like  Jeremiah,  too,  he  thought 
of  the  old  Messianic  expectations  which  associated  themselves 
with  David's  lineage  (Jer.  xxiii.  5,  6).  These  anticipations  had 
revived  in  the  subsequent  utterances  of  Ezekiel  (xxxiv.  23  foil.). 
But  during  the  intervening  years  of  sorrow  and  blighted  hopes 
they  had  declined  and  had  given  place  to  other  ideals.  They 
were  now  destined  to  revive  as  the  political  expectations  of 
Israel  were  rekindled  by  the  conquest  of  Babylon  by  Cyrus  and 
his  edict  of  Restoration  to  Israel.  About  this  time  the  eyes  of 
the  Babylonian  Jewish  community  were  fixed  upon  a  descendant 
of  the  ancient  Davidic  line,  Zerubbabel,  and  it  is  quite  possible 
— indeed,  probable — that  the  words  *  I  have  appointed  him  a 
prince  and  commander  over  peoples '  refer  to  Zerubbabel.  In  him 
the  Jewish  community  beheld  the  sure  mercies  connected  with 
David  and  his  seed.  About  seventeen  years  [?]  later,  in  the  in- 
fancy and  slight  beginnings  of  the  restored  community  in  Jeru- 
salem, Haggai  gave  definite  utterance  to  the  high  hopes  which  were 
entertained  of  him  in  a  solemn  prophecy  (Haggai  ii.  20-23).  As 
we  know  from  subsequent  history  and  the  curious  phenomena  of 
the  text  of  Zechariah  ^,  these  Messianic  anticipations  were  destined 
to  speedy  extinction  ;  whether  by  the  ever-increasing  priestly 
ascendancy  or  by  the  opposition  of  the  old  home  population, 
the  enemies  of  all  true  progress,  we  have  no  means  of  deciding. 

(The  Davidic  dynasty,  represented  by  Zerubbabel,  is  to  be  a 
witness  among  peoples  to  Yahweh's  power,  faithfulness,  and 
love  to  Israel.  It  is  quite  possible  that  the  Deutero- Isaiah  was 
cognizant  in  some  way  of  the  prophecy  in  2  Sam.  vii  (E,  com- 
posed in  the  seventh  century,  according  to  Budde). 

5.  A  reminiscence  of  the  old  *  Servant- songs  '  in  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  (xlix.  6,  the  conception  of  which  is  reinforced  in  the  follow- 
ing verses  by  the  Deutero-Isaiah).  The  Jewish  people,  who 
were  addressed  in  the  plural  in  verses  1-3,  are  now  addressed  as 

*  Cf.  Zech.  iv.  6-10,  and  on  the  passage  vi.  9-14,  with  its  textual 
defects,  see  Driver's  notes  in  Century  Bible,  *  Minor  Prophets,'  vol.  ii. 


ISAIAH  55.  6-8  219 

knowest  not,  and  a  nation  that  knew  not  thee  shall  run 
unto  thee,  because  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  for  the 
Holy  One  of  Israel ;  for  he  hath  glorified  thee. 

Seek  ye  the  Lord  while  he  may  be  found,  call  ye  upon  6 
him  while  he  is  near :  let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  7 
the  unrighteous  man  his  thoughts :  and  let  him  return 
unto  the  Lord,  and  he  will  have  mercy  upon  him ;  and 
to  our  God,  for  he  will  abundantly  pardon.      For  my  8 
thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts,  neither  are  your  ways 

an  individual.  Yahweh's  power  and  love,  manifested  in  the 
restored  people  and  Davidic  dynasty,  form  a  powerful  and  attractive 
influence.  Foreign  peoples  of  whom  Israel  never  heard  shall 
respond  to  Israel's  invitation  and  shall  flock  eagerly  into  Jeru- 
salem. 

Verses  6-13.  The  prophet  now  addresses  words  of  earnest 
pleading  to  his  countrymen,  some  of  whom  had  abandoned  the 
religion  of  their  forefathers.  The  present  is  a  great  opportunity. 
Even  the  wicked  who  had  forsaken  Yahweh  will  obtain  forgive- 
ness, for  God's  thoughts  and  ways  are  greater  than  theirs,  and 
His  word  is  as  sure  of  fulfilment  as  the  rain  or  snow  of  their 
beneficent  influence  on  earth's  tillage.  A  new  world  shall  greet 
the  returning  captives  as  they  exultantly  pursue  their  journey 
from  the  land  of  exile.  The  transformation  shall  remain  as  an 
eternal  testimony  of  Yahweh's  power  and  love. 

6.  The  thought  in  the  mind  of  the  writer  is  that  Yahweh  is  to 
be  sought  in  His  old  place  of  abode — Jerusalem  (not  in  Babylonia; 
cf.  verse  12). 

For  while  lie  may  be  found,  read  :  *  when  He  suffers  Himself 
to  be  found!.' 

7-8.  The  grounds  for  the  omission  of  verse  7  as  an  interpola- 
tion, because  there  is  a  better  sequence  of  thought  between  verse 
8  and  verse  6,  are  questionable.  The  worldly  Jewish  settler  in 
Babylonia  is  exhorted  to  leave  the  vain  objects  of  his  interest  and 
turn  to  Yahweh,  whose  ways  and  purposes  are  utterly  different. 

'  Let  the  wicked  man  abandon  his  way,  and  the  vain  man  his 
thoughts,  that  he  may  return  to  Yahweh,  so  that  He  may  have 
mercy  on  him,  and  to  our  God,  for  He  grants  abounding  forgive- 
ness.'    The  following  verse  is  based  on  the  terms  of  verse  7.     A 

^  The  idiom  is  that  which  is  called  by  Hebrew  Grammarians  Nlph'al 
toleraiivtim,  of  which  we  have  had  an  example  in  liii.  7  :  cf.  Ixv.  i. 
See  Gesenius-Kautzsch,  Heb.  Gram.^^,  §  51.  2  a. 


220  ISAIAH  55.  9.12 

9  my  ways,  saith  the  Lord.    For  as  the  heavens  are  higher 
than  the  earth,  so  are  my  ways  higher  than  your  ways, 

10  and  my  thoughts  than  your  thoughts.  For  as  the  rain 
Cometh  down  and  the  snow  from  heaven,  and  returneth 
not  thither,  but  watereth  the  earth,  and  maketh  it  bring 
forth  and  bud,  and  giveth  seed  to  the  sower  and  bread  to 

11  the  eater;  so  shall  my  word  be  that  goeth  forth  out  of  my 
mouth :  it  shall  not  return  unto  me  void,  but  it  shall 
accomplish  that  which  I  please,  and  it  shall  prosper  in 

12  the  thing  whereto  I  sent  it.  For  ye  shall  go  out  with  joy, 
and  be  led  forth  with  peace  :  the  mountains  and  the  hills 

contrast  is  drawn  between  God*s  ways  and  thoughts  and  those  of 
the  wicked.  God's  greater  heavenly  way  is  revealed  in  His  free 
forgiveness. 

10-11.  Evil  men's  purposes  and  ways  wither  and  perish,  but 
not  so  the  Divine  thoughts.  These  abide  eternal.  God's  word 
never  suffers  frustration. 

returneth  not  thither  .  .  .  shall  not  return  means  '  does 
not  become  impotent  and  ineffectual.'  We  have  already  had 
occasion  to  notice- tWe  special  use  of  the  Hebrew  word  *  return  ' 
in  the  note  on  isa.  ix.  13,  where  the  Hebrew  word  for  '  return,' 
or  'turn  back,'  was  explained  as  meaning  'cease  to  operate.' 
Similarly  in  the  words  of  our  Lord  the  blessing  (corresponding 
to  its  opposite,  the  curse  which  is  the  expression  of  wrath)  has  a 
beneficent  potency.  The  salutation  of  peace  or  saldtn  of  Christ's 
messenger  comes  upon  the  worthy  household,  but  upon  the  un- 
worthy it  ceases  to  operate,  or,  in  the  words  of  our  Lord,  '  returns 
to  yourselves  '  (Matt.  x.  13  ;  cf.  Luke  x.  6.     Cf.  also  2  Sam.  i,  22). 

It  would  be  preferable  to  render  throughout  the  imperfect  tenses 
in  Hebrew  as  expressing  an  abiding  and  recurrent  fact,  i.  e.  by. 
the  present  rather  than  the  future.  The  tenses  in  both  verses, 
containing  the  natural  simile  and  its  spiritual  analogue  respectively, 
correspond.  The  word  for  void  (properly  'in  vain')  in  the 
Hebrew  text  of  verse  11  is  obviously  an  awkward  gloss  added  by 
some  scribe^.  It  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  LXX  version  and 
impedes  the  sense.     Render  :    '  For  just  as  the  rain   and  snow 

^  For  it  is  quite  clear  that  the  Divine  word  cannot  be  '  void '  or  *  in 
vain,'  any  more  than  the  rain  or  snow,  when  it  has  accomplished  its 
task.  It  merely  '  returns,'  1.  e.  ceases  to  operate,  its  work  having 
been  done. 


ISAIAH  55.  13  221 

shall  break  forth  before  you  into  singing,  and  all  the  trees 
of  the  field  shall  clap  their  hands.     Instead  of  the  thorn  13 
shall  come  up  the  fir  tree,  and  instead  of  the  brier  shall 
come  up  the  myrtle  tree  :  and  it  shall  be  to  the  Lord  for 
a  name,  for  an  everlasting  sign  that  shall  not  be  cut  off. 

descend  from  heaven  and  do  not  return  thither  except  they  have 
drenched  the  earth,  and  made  it  bring  forth  and  bud  and  have 
furnished  seed  to  the  sower  and  food  to  the  eater ;  so  is  my  word 
that  proceeds  from  my  mouth.  It  does  not  return  to  me,  except 
it  has  done  what  I  please  and  has  succeeded  in  the  mission  on 
which  I  sent  it.'  Here  the  *  word '  is,  as  it  were,  materialized  and 
is  '  sent '  from  heaven  like  the  snow.  Similarly  in  ix.  8  (7  Heb.), 
the  contrasted  word  of  Divine  wrath  falls  on  Israel  to  blast  and 
destroy. 

12-13.  Having  asserted  the  general  principle  of  Yahweh's 
omnipotent  will  and  the  inevitable  accomplishment  of  His  gracious 
purpose,  the  prophet  concludes  his  prophecy  of  persuasion  and 
encouragement.  We  are  carried  back  to  the  oracles  of  the 
return  with  which  this  entire  collection  opened,  xl.  3-5.  The 
desert  itself  is  transformed  by  the  appearance  of  the  myrtle  and 
the  fir  (or  more  properly  '  cypress,'  cf.'  xli.  19),  in  place  of  the 
brier  (Cheyne  '  nettle  • )  and  the  thorn,  in  accompaniment  to  the 
gladness  which  pervades  the  returning  caravan  of  exiles.  These 
transformations  in  nature  shall  be  the  everlasting  sigfn  of 
Yahweh's  new  covenant  with  His  Redeemed  People.  Cf.  the 
'new  heaven  and  new  earth'  of  chap.  Ixv.  17,  Ixvi.  22,  which 
convey  the  same  idea  of  an  *  everlasting  sign.' 


VOL.  II,  PART  II 
THE   BOOK    OF   THE   PROPHET 

ISAIAH  (Chapters  LVI-LXVI) 

OR    TRITO-ISAIAH 
INTRODUCTION 


THE   PROPHECIES  OF  ISAIAH 

(CHAPTERS   LVI-LXVI) 
CALLED  THE  TRITO-ISAIAH 

INTRODUCTION 

§  I.  The  Interval  between  the  Restoration  of 
THE  Jews  under  Cyrus  and  the  Advent  of 
Nehemiah  (538-445  B.C.). 

Between  the  last  utterances  of  the  Deutero- Isaiah 
and  the  time  to  which  the  eleven  closing  chapters  of  the 
Isaianic  collection  belong  there  probably  intervenes  a 
period  of  more  than  eighty  year?.  About  this  interval  we 
are  in  reality  very  imperfectly  informed.  The  prophecies  of 
Haggai  and  Zechariah  (chaps,  i-viii)  give  us  some  insight 
into  the  conditions  which  prevailed  in  Jerusalem  about 
twenty  years  after  the  capture  by  Cyrus  of  Babylon  and 
the  edict  of  restoration.  Also  the  prophecies  of  Malachi 
afford  us  much  needed  light  respecting  the  conditions 
that  prevailed  more  than  fifty  years  later. 

It  is  of  course  true  that  we  have  also  the  historic  retro- 
spect contained  in  the  opening  chapters  of  the  Book  of 
Ezra.  But  when  we  deal  with  this  book,  as  well  as  that 
of  Nehemiah,  it  must  be  remembered  that  they  were 
redacted  in  their  present  form  nearly  two  centuries  later 
than  the  events  which  transpired  in  the  days  of  Ezra  and 
Nehemiah,  and  that  the  accounts  were  compiled  by  the 
same  hand  that  composed  the  Books  of  Chronicles.  When 
we  compare  the  opening  verses  of  Ezra  (i.  1-3)  with 
2  Chron.  xxxvi.  22  foil,  it  would  appear  that  Ezra  was 
compiled  in  order  to  serve  as  an  immediate  sequel  to 
the  Books  of  Chronicles.  In  1893  a  Dutch  critic,  Kosters, 
the    successor   of   Kuenen    at   Leiden,  endeavoured    to 


226  ISAIAH 

show  ^  that  the  first  four  chapters  of  Ezra  are  to  be 
regarded  as  quite  unhistorical.  All  that  is  there  narrated 
about  the  edict  of  Cyrus  and  the  return  of  the  exiles,  the 
foundation  of  the  temple  and  the  suspension  of  the  work 
in  the  reign  of  Cyrus,  Kosters  dismisses  as  fiction.  Haggai 
and  Zechariah  knew  of  no  other  foundation  of  the  temple 
than  that  which  took  place  in  their  time  (Hag.  ii.  19). 
Nor,  according  to  this  critic,  do  these  prophets  assume 
that  there  was  any  return  of  a  community  of  exiles  from 
Babylonia.  These  prophets  regard  the  time  of  Israel's 
chastisement  as  still  enduring,  and  his  redemption  is 
all  in  the  future  (Zech.  i.  2  foil.,  12,  ii.  6 foil.,  vi.  9-15, 
viii.  7  foil.).  The  foundation  of  the  temple  to  which 
Haggai  refers  is  the  only  temple-building  which  took 
place,  viz.  in  520-516  B.C.  When  the  question  is  asked, 
to  whom  this  rebuilding  of  the  temple  was  due,  Kosters 
replies  that  it  was  not  carried  out  by  ih^gdlah  or  returned 
Babylonian  exiles,  since  they  are  never  once  mentioned 
in  such  a  connexion  in  the  oracles  of  Haggai  and 
Zechariah,  but  only  'this  people'  (Hag.  i.  2,  12,  ii.  14)  or 
*  remnant  of  the  people*  (Hag.  i.  12,  14,  ii.  2;  Zech. 
viii.  6,  II,  12),  or  '  people  of  the  land  '  (Hag.  ii.  4  ;  Zech. 
vii.  5),  or  in  Zech.  ii.  16,  viii.  13,  15,  *  Judah '  or  'the 
house  of  Judah,'  by  which  terms  the  inhabitants  of  Judah 
who  had  not  been  deported  by  Nebuchadrezzar  between 
597  and  586  B.  c.  are  obviously  meant. 

These  views  are  certainly  not  without  some  weight,  and 
have  exercised  considerable  influence  in  England"  as 
v/ell  as  on   the   continent.     They  have,  however,  been 


Mn  his  work  with  the  Dutch  title  Herstel  van  Israel. 
Kosters  was  followed  in  1895  by  Eerdmanns,  and  in  part  by 
Wildeboer  and  Cheyne  (Jntrod.  to  Isaiah,  p.  xxxviii). 

2  Soon  after  their  publication  Prof.  Cheyne  {Introd.  to 
Isatah,  p.  xxxviii),  in  his  account  of  Kosters'  views,  so  far 
agrees  that  he  describes  the  assertion  in  Ezra  v.  n-17  and 
vi-  I.  3-5  that  Cyrus  ordered  the  temple  to  be  rebuilt  and  sent 
back  the  sacred  vessels  as  a  pious  invention. 


INTRODUCTION 


227 


subjected  to  searching  criticism  by  Wellhausen*  and  also 
by  Edward  Meyer  in  his  detailed  investigation  of  the 
Aramaic  documents  in  Ezra  iv-vii  in  his  Entstehung  des 
Jude7iiw)is  (pp.  8-71),  in  which  he  seeks  to  prove  their 
genuineness.  In  England  the  chief  credit  for  an  in- 
dependent and  thorough  examination  of  Kosters'  theory 
belongs  to  Prof.  G.  Adam  Smith.  To  his  lucid  presenta- 
tion of  the  arguments  against  Kosters'  views  in  his  *  Book 
of  the  Twelve  Prophets '  {Expositor's  Bible),  vol.  ii, 
pp.  194-219,  we  would  refer  the  inquiring  reader.  Within 
our  much  narrower  limitations  we  can  only  deal  in  brief 
summary  with  Kosters'  positions.  It  will  be  found  that 
if  these  be  admitted  in  their  entirety  we  shall  be  con- 
fronted by  far  greater  difficulties  than  any  which  Kosters* 
reconstruction  is  designed  to  remove. 

I.  If  we  dismiss  the  record  in  Ezra  chap,  i,  cf.  vi.  3  foil., 
as  wholly  untrue,  and  therefore  assume  that  no  edict  was 
ever  issued  by  Cyrus  for  the  return  of  the  Jewish  exiles 
and  the  restoration  of  this  temple,  we  have  to  account 
(i)  for  the  invention  of  the  story  itself,  (2)  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  oracles  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  xl-xlviii,  which 
are  taken  up  with  the  prophecy  respecting  Cyrus  as  the 
anointed  servant  of  Yahweh,  commissioned  to  restore 
Israel  and  rebuild  the  ruined  city  (xliv.  26,  xlv.  13).  We 
have  also  to  account  for  the  survival  of  chapters  xlix-lv 
which  contemplate  the  immediate  fulfilment  of  their 
anticipations. 

As  to  (i)  the  underlying  motive  of  the  invention, -this  is 
assumed  to  be  the  desire  to  give  historic  vindication  to 
these  oracles  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah.  Accordingly  we 
have  to  suppose  that  for  about  ninety  years  the  definite 
and  confident  predictions  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  remained 
unfulfilled,  and  the  pious  exiles  were  doomed  still  to  wait 
for  the  vindication  of  Yahweh's  power.  Whether  the 
higher  prophetic  Yahweh-religion  either  in  Babylonia  or 

^  Cf.  Israel,  und  Jiidtscke  Geschichte"^,  pp.  155.  160. 
Q   2 


228  ISAIAH 

Palestine  could  have  survived  so  terrible  a  shock  as  this 
total  falsification  of  its  hopes,  of  which  the  news  would 
spread  far  and  wide,  remains  exceedingly  doubtful.  Still 
more  doubtful  is  it  whether  the  Deutero-Isaianic  oracles 
would  have  survived^.  (2)  That  they  did  survive,  even 
though  the  hopes  kindled  by  their  immediate  fulfilment 
were  destined  to  suflfer  disillusionment  in  the  following 
decades,  we  know  to  have  been  a  fact.  And  this  points 
irresistibly  to  the  conclusion  that  Cyrus  did  actively 
co-operate  in  the  restoration  of  a  considerable,  though 
perhaps  not  very  large,  body  of  Jewish  exiles.  That  the 
oracles  enjoyed  in  consequence  of  their  fulfilment  con- 
siderable prestige,  like  the  earlier  oracles  of  Isaiah  in 
Hezekiah's  reign,  is  fully  proved  by  the  profound  influence 
which  they  exerted  in  a  later  generation — an  influence 
which  the  style  of  the  oracles  of  the  Trito-Isaiah— 
especially  of  the  lyrical  passages  Ix-lxii — will  clearly 
reveal. 

Moreover,  archaeology  furnishes  us  with  an  indirect 
confirmation  of  the  truth  that  Cyrus  fulfilled  the  expecta- 
tions of  Hebrew  prophecy,  {a)  This  tolerance  of  and 
sympathy  with  native  Babylonian  cults  is  clearly  shown 
in  his  clay  cylinder  2.  Throughout  Cyrus,  though  a 
Persian,  regards  himself  as  the  reverent  servant  of  Marduk 
(Merodach),  the  tutelary  deity  of  Babylon.  At  this  deity's 
command  Cyrus  restores  to  their  shrines  the  gods  whom 
Nabuniid  had  displaced  (lines  33  foil.).  That  Cyrus 
exhibited  the  same  tolerance  and  sympathy  to  the  cults 
of  other  races,  and  especially  to  the  Jews  who  had  hailed 
his  advent  to  power  with  rejoicing,  is  surely  exceed- 
ingly probable,  {b)  The  recent  discovery  of  three  Ara- 
maic papyri  at  Elephantine,  near  Assouan,  published  by 

^  We  know  that  the  falsification  of  the  Messianic  expecta- 
tions which  for  a  short  time  centred  round  the  person  of  Zerub- 
babel  in  all  probability  caused  the  elimination  of  his  name,  and 
the  consequent  textual  difficulties  in  Zech.  vi.  11  foil.  See 
Driver's  note  in  the  Century  Bible  Commentary. 

2  See  p.  34a  f.,  and  Schrader's  KIB.,  ii,  2*«  Halfte,  p.  tst  foil. 


INTRODUCTION  229 

Prof.  Ed.  Sachaii,  supplies  an  indirect  confirmation  of  the 
traditional  view  respecting  Cyrus  which  is  here  advocated. 
The  first  papyrus  contains  a  complete  letter  addressed  by 
Jedoniah  and  his  fellow  priests  of  the  temple  of  Yahweh  at 
Yeb  in  the  seventeenth  year  of  Darius  II  (Nothus),  i.  e.  in 
407  B.  C,  to  Bagohi,  viceroy  of  Judaea.  In  recapitulating 
the  past  history  of  this  temple  of  Yahweh,  recently 
destroyed  by  the  fanatical  hatred  of  the  Egyptian  priest- 
hood, it  states  that  when  Cambyses  invaded  Egypt  (i.e. 
about  526  B.  C.)  he  found  the  temple-building  already  ex- 
isting. The  shrine  may  indeed  have  originated  at  a  much 
earlier  period  ^  The  lines  13,  14  in  Sachau's  rendering 
may  here  be  cited  :— 

[13]  .  .  .  'And  after  the  days  of  the  kings  of  Egypt  our 
fathers  built  that  temple  in  the  stronghold  Yeb.  And  when 
Cambyses  [Kambuzi]  entered  Egypt  [14]  he  found  the 
temple  built ;  but  all  the  temples  of  the  gods  of  Egypt  they 
destroyed,  but  to  that  temple  no  one  did  any  injury.' 

The  exceptional  favour  shown  by  Cambyses  to  the 
temple  of  Yahweh  is  most  readily  explained  by  the 
assumption  that  the  new  Persian  king  was  loyal  to  the 
policy  of  his  predecessor  Cyrus  ^  which  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  in  poetry  and  Ezra  in  prose  have  in  the  main 
faithfully  depicted. 

II.  But  how  are  we  to  account  for  the  strange  silence 
of  Haggai  and  Zechariah  respecting  the  foundation  of 
the  temple  in  the  days  of  Cyrus  (circa  536  B.  c.)  ?  Both 
represent  the  foundation  and  building  of  the  sanctuary  as 
having  taken  place  during  the  years  520-516  B.C.     No 

^  That  the  origin  of  the  building  was  ancient  seems  to  be 
indicated  by  the  vague  language  of  the  writer.  The  existence 
of  a  diaspora  even  in  the  eighth  century  is  suggested  by 
a  variety  of  passages  in  pre-exilian  prophets.  Cf.  the  notes 
in  vol.  i  on  Isa.  xix.  19  foil.,  on  which  a  useful  light  may 
perhaps  be  thrown. 

2  Since  these  words  were  written  the  writer  has  found 
that  this  inference  has  already  been  drawn  by  J.  W.  Rothstein 
in  his  monograph  Jjiden  unci  Samantaner  (1908),  p.  13  foil. 


230  ISAIAH 

previous  foundation  is  referred  to.  CornilP  is  willing  to 
concede  this  point,  and  holds  that  the  Ezra  records, 
compiled  in  a  much  later  age,  transferred  from  the  reign 
of  Darius  this  event,  to  which  the  contemporary  prophets 
Haggai  and  Zechariah  alluded,  back  to  the  reign  of 
Cyrus.  This  might  seem  to  be  a  not  unnatural  solution 
of  the  problem  of  the  silence  of  these  two  prophets 
respecting  any  earlier  foundation  of  the  temple.  Prof. 
G.  Adam  Smith,  on  the  other  hand,  contends  that  such 
silence  was  quite  explicable  from  the  standpoint  assumed 
by  the  two  prophets,  who  emphasized  that  it  was  not  by 
human  might  or  power  but  by  the  Divine  spirit  (Zech. 
iv.  4)  that  the  temple  was  to  be  rebuilt  and  the  restora- 
tion completed.  *  Their  one  ambition  is  to  put  courage 
from  God  into  the  poor  hearts  before  them.'  This  we 
hold  to  be  a  sound  argument.  In  this  respect  Haggai 
and  Zechariah  stand  in  line  with  the  Deutero-Isaiah. 
Though  the  latter  hailed  the  advent  of  Cyrus  in  the 
earlier  days  when  exiled  Israel  was  despondent  and  even 
faithless,  Yahweh's  blind  and  deaf  servant  (chaps,  xl- 
xlviii),  we  hear  no  more  about  Cyrus  in  chaps,  xlix-lv, 
when  the  anticipations  already  uttered  were  on  the  point 
of  realization  and  the  consummation  was  at  hand.  The 
mention  of  Cyrus  and  the  strong  supporting  arm  of 
Persia  by  either  of  the  later  prophets  would  have  struck 
a  discordant  note.  It  would  have  belittled  the  majesty  of 
Yahweh.  Accordingly  Haggai  and  Zechariah  make  no 
reference  to  the  earlier  attempt  to  rebuild  the  temple, 
which  Samaritan  opposition  rendered  abortive. 

It  is  now  held  by  the  majority  of  scholars  that  a  con- 
siderable return  of  Jewish  exiles  from  Babylonia  did  take 
place  in  the  reign  of  Cyrus,  and  it  probably  continued  in  that 
of  his  immediate  successors  ^.  Both  Zerubbabel  and  Joshua 


1  Introd.  to  the  O.  T.,  §  21.  7  c. 

^  e.  g.  in  that  of  Darius  Hystaspis,  as  Zech.  vi.  ro  clearly 
indicates. 


INTRODUCTION  231 

did  not  arrive  unaccompanied.  No  temple  restoration 
can  be  regarded  as  possible  to  the  meagre,  poverty-stricken 
population,  tainted  with  the  old  semi-Canaanite  traditions 
of  the  high  places  as  well  as  the  open  polytheism  which 
characterized  the  latter  days  of  the  old  Judaean  kingdom 
after  the  death  of  Josiah,  and  which  his  reformation  was 
quite  unable  to  extinguish.  The  high  hopes  which  in- 
spired both  Haggai  (ii.  4,  23)  and  Zechariah^  and  the 
enthusiasm  with  which  both  prophets  hail  Zerubbabel 
as  the  coming  Messiah,  were  doubtless  short-lived ;  yet 
they  were  only  possible  when  we  assume  that  new  blood 
—that  of  the  returned  exiles  who  breathed  the  spirit  of 
the  Deutero-Isaiah — had  entered  into  the  decaying  Jewish 
community  and  had  vitalized  it.  Yet  the  task  which 
confronted  the  restored  exiles  in  the  realization  of  their 
ideals  was  by  no  means  an  easy  one.  They  had  to  reckon 
with  men  of  a  far  different  spirit,  viz.  the  Jews  who  had  not 
departed  to  Babylonia  during  the  crises  of  597  and  the 
following  deportation  in  586.  From  Ezek.  xxxiii.  24-29 
we  learn  that  they  were  prone  to  idolatry,  murder,  and 
dissolute  practices,  while  viii.  5-18,  in  the  form  of 
a  trance- vision,  presents  us  with  a  strange  spectacle  of 
image-worship  and  animal  portrayals  in  the  temple 
of  Jerusalem.  To  the  student  of  the  oracles  of  Jeremiah 
this  is  not  in  the  least  surprising,  and  when  we  come  to 
examine  the  chapters  in  theTrito-Isaiah,lvii.  3-10,  lxv.2-5, 
bcvi.  3,  4,  the  impression  will  be  confirmed  that  the  re- 
formation of  Josiah's  reign,  of  which  we  possess  the  reflex 
in  the  Book  of  Deuteronomy  (see  2  Kings  xxii,  xxiii),  was 
but  transient  and  superficial  in  its  effects.  And  we  shall 
be  still  less  surprised  when  we  take  up  the  interesting 
work  of  the  late  Prof.  Sam.  Ives  Curtiss,  Prhnitive 
Semitic  Religion  To-day,    The  author  there  describes  to 

^  Note  especially  the  language  of  Zechariah,  '  I  have  returned 
to  Jerusalem  in  mercy.  My  house  shall  be  built  in  it'  (i.  16; 
cf.  viii.  3,  7-9). 


2S2  ISAIAH 

us  what  he  as  well  as  previous  explorers,  such  as  Clemiont 
Ganneau  and  others,  have  observed  in  their  travels  among 
the  remoter  regions  of  Syria  and  Palestine.  Sacred  stones 
and  trees  still  remain  objects  of  reverence.  The  local 
/leh'  or  saint  and  the  local  demon  play  a  far  larger  part 
in  the  daily  life  of  the  Bedawi  of  even  this  twentieth 
century  in  the  country  districts  than  the  monotheism  of 
Christian  or  Mohammedan.  Mohammedanism  and 
Christianity  are  but  a  thin  veneer  over  beliefs  and 
practices  of  hoary  antiquity  which  cling  to  the  soil  and 
its  people  and  stretch  far  back  into  an  older  past  than 
the  Old  Testament  itself.  Comp.  Kittel,  Studien  zur 
Hebrdischen  Archdologie  (1908),  p.  loi  and  footnote  2. 

That  the  old  and  primitive  traditions  of  Semitic  life 
and  cultus  persisted  with  extraordinary  vigour  in  the 
days  when  the  chapters  comprised  in  '  Trito- Isaiah' 
were  composed  (circ.  460-445  B.C.)  is  obvious  to  the 
attentive  reader,  and  furnish  clear  indications  that  they 
were  written  on  Palestinian  soil. 

§2.  Social  and  Religious  Conditions  prevalent 
IN  Judaea  in  the  days  of  the  Trito-Isaiah. 
The  opening  verses  of  the  Trito-Isaiah,  Ivi.  1-8,  clearly 
reveal  that  they  belong  to  an  entirely  new  stadium  of 
Jewish  history  as  compared  with  the  environment  of  the 
chapters  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah  which  precede.  In  the 
latter  we  are  in  the  midst  of  an  exiled  community,  and  are 
confronted  by  a  turning-point  in  their  history.  Fresh 
vistas  disclose  themselves.  The  Babylonian  land  of  exile 
is  soon  to  be  left  behind,  and  the  caravans  are  wending 
their  way  to  the  homeland.  But  here  all  is  changed.  For 
the  present  the  exultant  note  of  anticipation  is  not  so 
often  heard.  The  community  has  long  been  settled  in  its 
Palestinian  home,  and  they  are  organized  into  a  commu- 
nity. Sacrifices  are  offered  at  the  Temple  altar  as  well  as 
the  service  of  prayer  (Ivi.  7).  Sabbaths  are  strictly  kept 
(verse  6),  and   the  prophet  bids  the   foreigner  and  the 


INTRODUCTION  233 

eunuch  welcome  to  the  religious  privileges  of  the 
sanctuary. 

A  new  spirit  breathes  through  these  oracles.  The 
music  is  frequently  in  the  minor  key.  We  have  passed 
from  the  brighter  world  of  noble  ideals  and  happy 
anticipation  to  the  darker  region  of  disillusionment.  The 
language  of  bitter  and  stern  rebuke  is  often  heard.  We 
are  dwelling  amid  the  hard  realities  of  an  evil  world. 
Sabbaths  and  fasts  are  celebrated,  but  the  evils  of  a  hollow 
formalism  and  social  oppression  are  as  manifest  as  they 
were  in  the  days  of  Amos  and  Isaiah,  Of  this  we  have 
a  remarkable  example  in  chap.  Iviii,  which  breathes  the 
same  spirit  of  high  social  ideals  of  duty  and  of  stern 
denunciation  of  Judah's  social  sins  that  characterized 
the  pre-exilian  prophets  (Amos  v  ;  Isa.  i,  v).  Men  who 
conformed  to  the  orthodox  traditions  of  fasting  or  '  afflict- 
ing the  soul,'  and  thought  that  they  were  meriting  Divine 
blessing  and  favour  thereby,  were  guilty  of  violent  strife 
and  the  oppression  of  the  poor.  The  language  of  chap, 
lix,  like  that  of  chap.  Iviii,  discloses  to  us  an  entirely  new 
set  of  circumstances  which  had  intervened  since  the 
prophecies  of  the  Return  in  chaps,  xl-lv  had  been  delivered. 
We  are  now  in  the  presence  of  a  settled  religious  com- 
munity in  the  Judaean  homeland  possessed  of  a  sanctuary 
with  organized  worship  and  definite  traditions — but  a 
community  which  had  become  degenerate.  These  new 
conditions  could  only  have  developed  after  a  considerable 
lapse  of  time. 

This  conclusion  is  fortified  by  a  comparison  with 
the  internal  conditions  disclosed  by  (a)  Ezra  and 
Nehemiah  and  (d)  the  prophecies  of  Malachi.  As  these 
facts  have  been  already  set  forth  by  Prof.  Driver  in  his 
introduction  to  Malachi,  §  2  S  where  the  intervening  history 
from  the  days  of  Zechariah  to  those  of  Nehemiah  is 
succinctly  narrated,  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  go  over  the 

'  Century  Bible,  '  Minor  Prophets,'  vol.  ii,  p.  287  foil. 


234  ISAIAH 

same  ground  here.  As  in  the  case  of  Malachi,  the  internal 
conditions  of  the  Jewish  community  aroused  a  feeling  of 
*  depression  and  discontent.'  '  The  return  from  Babylon 
had  not  been  followed  by  the  ideal  glories  promised  by  the 
second  Isaiah  ;  the  completion  of  the  Temple  had  not,  as 
Haggai  and  Zechariah  had  promised,  brought  in  the 
Messianic  age  ;  Jerusalem,  instead  of  the  population  over- 
flowing on  all  sides  (Zech.  ii.  4),  was  thinly  inhabited 
(Neh.  vii.  4  ;  xi.  i)  and,  till  445,  largely  a  ruin  (Neh.  i.  3, 
ii.  3,  17);  bad  harvests  (Mai.  iii,  11),  troubles  from 
neighbours  (Ezra  iv.  7-23  ;  cf.  Neh.  iv.  2  f.),  and  general 
poverty  (Neh.  v)  increased  the  disheartenment.  A  spirit 
of  carelessness  and  indifference  prevailed  widely  among 
the  people  ^ '  (cf.  in  reference  to  priests  and  sacrifices 
Mai.  i.  6-8,  13,  14,  ii.  6,  7-9). 

This  close  approximation  of  conditions,  and  more 
especially  of  the  general  tone  of  feeling,  in  Malachi  and  in 
the  Trito-Isaiah,  points  to  a  close  approximation  of  date. 
We  are  well  within  the  era  of  degeneracy,  460-445  B.  c. 
A  day  of  crisis  and  terrible  chastisement  from  Yahweh  is 
apprehended :  '  A  day  is  coming,  burning  as  an  oven,' 
Mai.  iv.  I  (iii.  19  Heb.).  Similarly  the  Trito-Isaiah, 
Ixvi.  15  : 

'  For  behold,  Yahweh  will  come  in  fire — and  like  the  whirl- 
wind his  chariots, 
Causing  as  retribution  His  wrath  to  fall  in  hot  anger — and 
his  rebuke  in  fiery  flames.' 

Another  interesting  point  of  contact  between  the  Trito- 
Isaiah  and  the  oracles  of  Malachi  is  the  denunciation  of 
Edom  which  finds  a  place  in  both.  Unfortunately,  our 
knowledge  of  the  historical  basis  upon  which  the  denun- 
ciation rests  is  meagre  and  obscure  (Mai.  i.  2-5,  on  which 
see  Driver's  notes,  and  Isa.  Ixiii.  1-6,  with  the  introductory 
notes  to  this  section  below). 

Moreover,  the  figure  of  a  personal  Messiah,  which  passes 

^  Driver,  ibid.,  p.  293. 


INTRODUCTION  235 

like  a  transient  gleam  across  the  last  lyric  utterance  of 
the  Deutero-Isaiah  (Iv.  3,  4)  and  became  definitely- 
associated  by  Haggai  (ii.  21-23)  and  Zechariah  (iv.  6-10, 
vi.  12)  with  the  person  of  Zerubbabel,  had  long  vanished. 
The  conception  of  a  personal  Messiah  has  no  place  in  the 
prophecies  of  better  things  in  Malachi  (iii.  16-18,  iv.  2,  3 
[iii.  20,  21  Heb.])  or  in  the  lyric  strains  that  herald  the 
restoration  of  Israel  (Nehemiah's  advent)  in  the  Trito- 
Isaiah  (Ix-lxii). 

Lastly,  Isa.  Ivii.  3-10,  Ixv.  2-5,  and  Ixvi.  3,  4  clearly  show 
that  Judaean  life  in  Palestine  in  the  days  of  the  Trito- 
Isaiah  was  tainted  by  the  prevalence  of  modes  of  religious 
practice  and  cultus  which  were  alien  to  the  purer  ideals 
of  Yahweh  worship  established  in  the  Deuteronomic  code. 
Moreover,  we  are,  in  these  later  chapters  of  the  collection, 
confronted  by  definite  allusions  to  the  Samaritan  schism 
—references  which  become  clear  when  we  study  the 
earher  chapters  of  Nehemiah,  and  place  them  by  the  side 
of  the  last  two  chapters  (Ixv  and  Ixvi)  of  the  Trito-Isaiah. 

§  3.  The  Style  of  the  Trito-Isaiah 

is  chiefly  marked  by  its  evident  signs  of  dependence  on 
the  Deutero-Isaiah.  This,  however,  applies  rather  to  the 
phraseology  than  the  structural  form  of  the  sentences  to 
which  attention  has  already  been  drawn  on  p.  35.  The  style 
of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  is  distinctively  marked,  individual 
and  original.  This  cannot  by  any  means  be  said  of  the 
Trito-Isaiah,  whose  indebtedness  to  earlier  writers  is  con- 
spicuous in  every  chapter.  The  influence  of  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  is  most  evident,  especially  in  the  lyrical  passages 
Ix-lxii  and  other  sections  of  similar  character,  as  in  Ixvi. 
10  foil.  These  will  be  found  noted  in  the  commentary. 
There  are,  however,  other  literary  influences  as  well,  which 
have  moulded  the  diction  of  the  Trito-Isaiah.  One  of 
these  is  the  Deuteronofnic.  The  expression  *  keep '  (or 
'observe'),  which  is  so  characteristic  of  Deuteronomy  (Heb. 


336  ISAIAH 

shamar),  occurs  five  times  in  Ivi.  i-8.  *  Do  that  which  is 
evil  in  the  eyes  of  Yahweh '  is  a  phrase  which  occurs  in 
varied  form  in  Ixv.  I3,  Ixvi.  4  (cf.  lix.  15),  and  is  specially 
Deuteronomic  (see  Deut.  iv.  25,  ix.  18,  xvii.  2,  xxxi.  29), 
and  frequently  recurs  in  those  sections  of  the  historical 
books  (especially  the  Book  of  Kings)  which  are  subject  to 
Deuteronomic  redaction  ^.  Also  the  expression  '  provoke 
to  anger'  by  idolatrous  practices,  Ixv.  3,  is,  as  Cheyne  re- 
marks, specially  Deuteronomic  ^  (Deut.  xxxi.  29,  xxxii.  16  : 
cf.  Jer.  vii.  18  ;  i  Kings  xiv.  9,  15,  xvi.  2,  7, 13  foil.).  Other 
examples  of  Deuteronomic  influence  which  are  specialities 
of  Hebrew  diction  may  be  found  by  the  student  of 
Hebrew  in  Cheyne's  Introduction.  Enno  Littmann  ^  calls 
attention  to  the  infinitive  with  fem.  ending  {-ah)  which 
occurs  in  Ivi.  6  {^  to  love  the  name  of  Yahweh';  Iviii.  2 
'  io  draw  7tear  unto  God).  Such  forms  are  very  common 
in  Deuteronomy  (x.  15,  xi.  33,  22,  xix.  9,  xxx.  6,  16,  20). 
Equally  manifest  is  the  influence  of  Ezekiel  both  in 
diction  and  idea.  Here  we  note  a  certain  contrast 
between  the  Deutero-Isaiah  and  the  Trito-Isaiah,  though 
by  no  means  so  marked  as  Duhm  would  have  us  believe 
(compare  the  statement  above  in  the  Introduction  to 
Deutero-Isaiah,  p.  29  and  footnote).  The  influence  of 
Ezekiel  is  much  more  definite  in  the  Trito-Isaiah. 
Compare,  both  as  to  diction  and  idea,  Isa.  Iviii.  7  with 
Ezek.  xviii.  7 — *  plead '  (or  '  urge  one's  cause '),  niph  \xl  of 
shdphat,  in  Ixvi.  16  ;  cf.  Ezek.  xxxviii.  22  ;  '  abomination,' 
Ixvi.  17,  and  *  abominable  beast '  (the  same  word  shekes)  in 
Ezek.  viii.  10  ;  unclean  flesh  iptggnl),  Isa.  Ixv.  4  and  Ezek. 
iv.  14.  The  use  of  'Son  of  Man'  in  Isa.  Ivi.  2  is  quite 
in  the  special  sense  of  man  as  a  member  of  the  human 
race  in  his  relation  to  God  so  common  in  the  oracles  of 
Ezekiel.     Also  in  reference  to  keeping  the  Sabbath  in 

1  See    the    full    list  of  particulars  as  to  style   in   Driver's 
Deuteronomy,  Introd.,  p.  Ixxxii  (49).     On  shdnmr s&G\h\d.  (68\ 

2  Introd.  to  the  Book  of  Isaiah,  p.  372. 

3  Ueber  die  Abfassungsseit  des  Tritojesaia,  p.  6. 


INTRODUCTION  237 

Ivi.  2,  4,  6,  we  are  reminded  of  the  special  importance 
attached  to  its  due  celebration  in  Ezek.  xx.  13.  The 
motive  underlying  Ixvi.  19  foil,  seems  to  be  taken  from 
Ezek.  xxxviii  foil,  (see  notes),  and  some  of  the  race-names 
appear  to  be  borrowed  from  the  same  source  and  Ezek. 
xxvii.  Other  instances  might  be  cited  ;  cf.  Isa.  Ivii.  8  foil, 
and  notes. 

There  were  likewise  borrowings  from  other  sources,  as 
from  Jereiniah  (cf.  Ixv.  18,  19).  These  will  be  found  by 
the  student  of  the  Commentary.  It  should  also  be  noted 
that  there  are  many  words  and  phrases  employed  by  the 
Trito-Isaiah  which  are  altogether  foreign  to  the  diction  of 
his  great  predecessor,  the  Deulero-Isaiah.  These  are  to 
be  mainly  found  in  chaps.  Ivi-lix  and  in  chaps.  Ixv-lxvi, 
and  consist  in  special  Hebrew  words,  for  which  the 
student  is  referred  to  the  full  information  contained  in  the 
separate  sections  on  those  chapters  in  Cheyne's  valuable 
Introduction  (the  reader  of  German  should  also  consult 
Enno  Littmann's  monograph  above  cited,  pp.  6,  7). 

§  4.   Redaction  of  Deutero-  and  Trito-Isaiah. 

The  chapters  called  the  Trito-Isaiah,  which  do  not 
include  Ixiii.  7— Ixiv.  12  (11,  Heb.)  ^  belong  to  some  date 
between  460  and  445  B.  C.  (advent  of  Nehemiah).  Chaps. 
Ix-lxii  and  Ixv,  Ixvi  may  probably  be  assigned  to  a  date 
very  near  the  close  of  this  period,  while  the  remaining 
chapters  of  this  collection  probably  belong  to  some  earlier 
date.  At  what  time,  if  ever,  was  any  separate  collection 
of  the  writings  of  the  Trito-Isaiah  formed  ?  It  is  hardly 
possible  to  give  a  definite  answer,  and  any  conclusions  that 
can  be  formed  on  the  subject  must,  under  our  present  con- 
ditions of  knowledge,  be  very  general  and  to  a  large 
extent  hypothetical. 

1  See  the  introduction  to  that  section  in  the  commentary,  in 
which  it  is  shov^'n  that  this  passage  must  be  assigned  to  some 
date  between  536  and  520  b.  c,  i.  e.  before  the  temple  of 
Zerubbabel  was  built. 


238  ISAIAH 

Two  collections  of  Deutero-Isaianic  prophecies  were 
made  either  by  the  prophet  who  uttered  them  or  by  his 
disciples.  The  first  collection  (chaps,  xl-xlviii)  was 
formed  shortly  after  the  conquest  by  Cyrus  of  Babylon, 
and  includes  only  the  first  of  the  Servant-poems.  The 
second  was  formed  not  long  after  the  first  caravan  of 
exiles  had  arrived  in  Palestine  (viz.  chaps,  xlix-lv).  It 
includes  three  of  the  Servant-poems,  and  among  them  the 
longest  and  last.  It  may  well  have  been  made  after 
a  certain  reaction  from  the  first  high  hopes  had  set  in 
and  the  prophet  reflected  deeply  on  the  great  lessons  to 
his  race  conveyed  in  the  '  Servant-poems ' ;  Iv.  3,  4 
appears  to  contain  a  distinct  reference  to  Zerubbabel. 
During  the  rebuilding  of  the  temple  in  the  days  of 
Haggai  and  Zechariah  these  collections  must  have 
enjoyed  considerable  popularity  among  a  certain  section 
of  the  population  who  had  returned  from  exile. 

We  have  seen  how  deeply  they  influenced  the  Trito- 
Isaiah.  Probably  when  the  oracles  of  the  latter  were 
gathered  into  a  collection  in  the  days  of  Nehemiah  (or 
subsequently)  the  Deutero-Isaianic  oracles  were  incor- 
porated as  well  as  the  detached  oracle  Ixiii.  7 — Ixiv.  12, 
though  it  is  impossible  to  say  why  it  is  placed  in  the 
position  where  it  stands.  That  this  early  collection  of 
chaps,  xl-lxvi  was  edited  about  400  B.C.  seems  to  be 
indicated  by  the  insertion  of  li.  11,  which  is  evidently 
borrowed  from  xxxv.  10.  See  note  on  the  former  passage 
[the  note  on  the  latter  in  vol.  i  needs  correction].  As  we 
have  already  shown,  chaps,  xl-lxvi  existed  as  a  separate 
collection  about  300  B.C.  This  may  be  inferred  from 
2  Chron.  xxxvi.  22  foil,  (see  vol.  i  of  this  Commentary, 
Introduction,  p.  70).  It  is  possible  that  by  that  time 
this  collection  was  redacted  in  the  form  in  which  we  now 
have  it.  Or  it  may  even  be  that  there  was  a  subsequent 
final  redaction  in  which  the  strange  pessimistic  glosses 
to  chap,  xlviii  were  incorporated  as  well  as  others  (cf.  1. 11), 
including  the  terrible  closing  two  verses  of  chap.  Ixvi. 


THE  TRITO-ISAIAH 

ISAIAH  LVI— LXVI 

REVISED  VERSION    WITH   ANNOTATIONS 


ISAIAH 

THE   BOOK  OF   THE    PROPHET    ISAIAH 

Thus  saith  the   Lord,  Keep  ye  judgement,  and  do  50 
righteousness :  for  my  salvation  is  near  to  come,  and  my 

II.     THE  TRITO-ISAIAH. 

Chaps,   lvi-lxvi,  or  Trito-Isaiah,  composed  between  460  and 

445  B.  c. 

Chapter  LVI.  1-8. 
An  assurance  to  Proselytes  and  Eunuchs. 

It  was  prophesied  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah  that  foreigners  would 
unite  themselves  with  Israel  (xliv.  5  ;  cf.  the  earlier  utterance,  xlix. 
6  .  In  the  passage  before  us  we  clearly  see  the  fulfilment  of  the 
anticipation.  Foreigners  had  already  entered  into  the  covenant 
blessings  of  Yahweh's  people  (see  Introd.  to  Deutero  Isaiah,  §  5, 
p.  43;  cf.  Zech.  ii.  11  [15  Heb.]).  It  is  evident  that  those  proselytes 
who  had  accompanied  the  Jews  in  their  return  to  Palestine,  br 
who  had  joined  the  Jerusalem  community  as  foreign  residents  on 
Palestinian  soil,  were  apprehensive  that  the  enforcement  of  a 
more  rigid  and  exclusive  system  would  debar  them  from  the 
privileges  which  they  had  hitherto  enjoyed.  It  is  manifest  that  an 
exclusive  tendency  had  already  revealed  itself.  Ezek.  xliv.  6-9 
certainly  exercised  a  considerable  determining  influence  over  the 
future,  as  certain  indications  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah  clearly  suggest, 
Hi.  I,  II  (as  well  as  the  remarkable  parallels  in  the  Code  of 
Holiness  incorporated  in  the  Priestercodex).  Moreover,  the 
eunuchs  who  were  of  Israelite  descent  were  also  apprehensive. 
These  had  served  as  courtiers  in  the  palace  of  the  Persian  Great 
King,  and  since  they  were  rendered  incapable  of  bearing  children, 
they  were  regarded  as  subject  to  a  Divine  curse,  according  to  the 
prevalent  conceptions  of  the  Semitic  world  which  held  childless- 
ness to  be  an  unspeakable  calamity.  They  were  as  profitless  as 
barren  trees  to  the  new  community,  to  whom  increase  of  popu- 
lation was  vital.  To  both,  the  foreign  residents  and  the  eunuchs, 
the  Divine  word  of  comfort  comes  :  let  them  be  faithful  to  the 
Covenant  and  keep  the  Sabbath.  The  reference  to  the  Sabbath 
both  here  and  in  Iviii.  13  is  instructive.  We  note  the  significant 
fact  that  ritual  holds  a  larger  place  here  than  in  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah,  in  which  the  Sabbath  is  never  mentioned,  pzek.  xx. 
13  (cf.  Neh.  xiii.  15)  indicates  that  during  the  exile  a  new  tradi- 
tion had  arisen  in  which  severer  restrictions  were  practised  on 


242  ISAIAH  56.  a 

3  righteousness  to  be  revealed.  Blessed  is  the  man  that 
doeth  this,  and  the  son  of  man  that  holdeth  fast  by  it ; 
that  keepeth  the  sabbath  from  profaning  it,  and  keepeth 

the  Sabbath  than  in  the  earlier  pre-exilian  days^  when  Sabbath 
meant  merely  the  weekly  cessation  of  daily  toil.  At  the  same 
time,  as  Cheyne  remarks,  the  writer  of  this  passage  appears  to  be 
more  liberal  than  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  (Ezra  ix.  1-4  ;  Neh.  xiii. 
1-3),  and  in  this  respect  approximates  rather  i  Kings  viii.  41-43. 

1.  This  chapter  begins  abruptly,  and  has  obviously  no  con- 
nexion with  the  preceding  one  (Deutero-Isaiah),  which  is  filled 
with  the  happy  anticipations  of  a  new  era  which  was  to  break 
upon  the  Babylonian  exiles. 

The  word  judgement  here,  or  '  right,'  is  employed  with 
reference  to  the  ceremonial  custom  which  was  embodied  in  the 
Deuteronomic  code.  These  legal  requirements  are  called  in  the 
Book  of  Deuteronomy  'judgments  '  {mishpdiim),  Deut.  iv.  45, 
xii.  I '.  Similarly,  '  righteousness'  begins  to  have  rather  the  legal 
than  the  ethical  sense  which  belonged  to  the  term  in  the  older 
prophets.  It  means  here  conformity  to  law  in  the  first  part  of  the 
verse,  in  which  human  conduct  is  referred  to,  while  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  verse,  where  Divine  dealing  is  the  subject  considered, 
'  righteousness '  as  a  characteristic  of  God's  action  possesses  the 
signification  of  conformity  to  the  Divine  redemptive  purpose,  and 
therefore  naturally  stands  in  parallelism  with  'Salvation.'  This 
conception  of  the  word  '  righteousness '  is,  as  we  have  already 
seen,  characteristic  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  (see  Introduction,  p.  37). 

2.  We  note  here  the  characteristic  use  of  the  expression  man 
and  son  of  man.  The  word  '  man '  (emsh)  is  man  in  his 
frailty  and  limitation — 'mortal.*  'Son  of  man'  also  designates 
man  as  a  member  of  the  human  race  in  his  relation  to  God.  It  is 
the  constantly  recurring  term  of  address  by  God  to  Ezekiel. 
Both  expressions  meet  us  in  later  literature.  Notice  especially 
Ps.  viii.  4  (5  Heb.).  The  pronouns  tMs  and  it  in  the  opening 
clause  are  proleptic^  i.  e.  anticipate  the  reference  to  the  Sabl>ath 
and  the  abstinence  from  all  evil  which  immediately  follows.  By 
the  evil  the  writer  expresses  in  one  comprehensive  and  collective 
term  all  the  vices  which  disgraced  the  Jewish  Palestinian  com- 
munity in  the  later  degenerate  days  of  the  Trito-Isaiah,  quarrelling, 
violence,  lying,  deceit,  injustice,  to  which  the  writer  makes  ample 
reference  in  the  later  chapters  (Iviii.  4-6,  lix.  3-15). 

*  Duhm  also  calls  attention  to  the  influence  of  Deuteronomy  over 
the  Trito-Isaianic  writer  in  the  characteristic  use  of  the  word  *  keep ' 
both  in  this  and  the  following  verses. 


ISAIAH  06.  3-5  243 

his  hand  from  doing  any  e^  il.  Neither  let  the  stranger,  3 
that  hath  joined  himself  to  the  Lord,  speak,  saying.  The 
Lord  will  surely  separate  me  from  his  people  :  neither  let 
the  eunuch  say,  Behold,  I  am  a  dry  tree.  For  thus  saith  4 
the  Lord  of  the  eunuchs  that  keep  my  sabbaths,  and 
choose  the  things  that  please  me,  and  hold  fast  by  my 
covenant :    Unto  them  will  I  give  in  mine  house  and  5 

3.  The    clause    that    hath    joined    himself  to   the    LiOBD 

I  Yahweh)  is  considered  by  Duhm  and  Marti  to  be  a  later  gloss 
imported  from  verse  6,  where  a  similar  expression  occurs.  This 
clause  appears  to  involve  a  disturbance  of  the  verse- structure  of 
long  lines  of  two  short  lines  each  resembling  that  which  occurs 
in  the  Deutero-Isaiah.  But  it  is  very  difficult  to  trace  this  verse- 
form  after  the  close  of  verse  2.  Moreover  the  suspected  clause 
stands  in  the  LXX  version.  We  see,  therefore,  no  sufficient 
reason  for  removing  these  words  from  the  text. 

The  exile  discipline  had  introduced  the  Jew  to  a  wider  world, 
and  his  altitude  towards  foreigners  became  thereby  more  tolerant 
and  his  interests  more  cosmopolitan.  Even  Ezekiel  recognized 
the  necessity  of  giving  due  place  and  privilege  to  the  resident  aHen 
(Ezek.  xlvii.  22).     Cf.  Isa.  xliv.  5,  xlv.  14,  23,  Iv.  5. 

4.  The  Covenant  here  is  hardly  the  New  Covenant  of  Jer.  xxxi. 
31  foil,  present  to  the  mind  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  xlii.  6  foil., 
xlix.  8,  but  rather  the  Covenant  of  the  Deuteronomic  type,  which 
was  ceremonial  as  well  as  ethical,  Deut.  xxix.  i,  9  [xxviii.  69  and 
xxix.  8  Heb.].  The  R.V.  rightly  renders  the  Hebrew  not  by  '  unto 
the  eunuchs  '  but  *  0/  (i.  e.  with  respect  to)  the  eunuchs,'  which 
the  context  shows  to  be  the  only  possible  interpretation. 

5.  A  word  of  comfort  to  the  eunuchs  (contrasted  with  Deut. 
xxiii.  I  [2  Heb.l).  Childlessness  to  the  eunuch  meant  tliat  he 
would  leave  no  memorial  in  the  form  of  posterity  to  perpetuate 
his  name.  In  the  case  of  Absalom  a  pillar  was  erected  by  him 
because  he  was  destined  to  die  childless,  2  Sam.  xviii.  18. 
Yahweh  here  declares  to  the  eunuchs  that  a  memorial  pillar  of 
this  kind  shall  be  erected  for  them  within  the  temple  precincts. 
The  R.  V.  here  correctly  renders  the  Hebrew  original  yad^  by 
•memorial.'  It  literally  means  'hand.'  The  ancient  versions 
LXX,  Targ.,  Pesh.,  Vulg.,  followed  by  Delitzsch,  render  this 
word  vaguely  by  'place,'  a  meaning  for  which  Ivii.  8  and  Deut. 
xxiii.  13  afford  no  warrant.  Gesenius  and  De  Wette  render  by 
*  portion.'  It  is  archaeology  which  finally  settles  the  meaning 
Marti  notes  the  significant  fact  that  on  Phoenician  and  Punic 
monumental  stones  this  figure  of  a  hand  is  often  found      See  the 

R    2 


244  ISAIAH  56.  6-8 

within  my  walls  a  memorial  and  a  name  better  than  of 
sons  and  of  daughters ;  I  will  give  them  an  everlasting 

6  name,  that  shall  not  be  cut  off.  Also  the  strangers,  that 
join  themselves  to  the  Lord,  to  minister  unto  him,  and 
to  love  the  name  of  the  Lord,  to  be  his  servants,  every 
one  that  keepeth  the  sabbath  from  profaning  it,  and 

7  holdeth  fast  by  my  covenant ;  even  them  will  I  bring  to 
my  holy  mountain^  and  make  them  joyful  in  my  house  of 
prayer ;  their  burnt  offerings  and  their  sacrifices  shall  be 
accepted  upon  mine  altar:  for  mine  house  shall  be  called 

8  an  house  of  prayer  for  all  peoples.       The  Lord  God 

Carthaginian  votive  stones  figured  in  Schrdder,  Phoniz.  Sprache, 
Taf.  xii  (at  the  end  of  the  work).  This  memorial  in  God's  own 
House  is  to  be  a  surer  guarantee  of  an  abiding  name  than 
posterity.  For  posterity  after  all  may  be  cut  ofif  by  the  adverse 
chances  of  war  or  pestilence,  but  God's  House  abides. 

Verses  6-8.  A  word  of  comfort  to  the  foreign  proselytes.  These 
are  described  in  a  series  of  clauses  as  '  those  who  attach  tliemselves 
to  Yahweh  in  serving  Him  and  loving  His  name.'  UTame  here 
ha3  its  special  Semitic  connotation  of  personal  presence  and 
power;  cf.  Mai.  iv.  2  (iii.  20  Heb.)  ;  Matt.  vi.  9,  xviii.  20; 
Acts  iii.  16  ;  Eph.  i.  21,  &c.,  since  the  utterance  of  the  name 
was  held  to  summon  forth  the  potency  of  the  Divine  personality 
named.  Stress  is  also  laid  on  the  careful  maintenance  by  the 
proselyte  of  the  .Sabbath. 

Verse  7  gives  hint  of  a  special  importance  in  worship  attached 
to  prayer  which  emerges  as  the  direct  result  of  the  exile.  The 
exiled  community  were  precluded  by  the  local  conditions  o( 
worship,  which  Deuteronomy  still  further  restricted,  from  offering 
sacrifices  to  Yahweh  (cf.  xliii.  24  and  note).  This  form  ol 
worship,  however,  prophetic  teaching  deprecated  unless  accom- 
panied by  an  inward  renewal  and  righteous  conduct  (Amos  v. 
9-12,  21-24;  Isa.  i.  11-17).  Stress  was  laid  on  the  ethical 
as  distinguished  from  the  ceremonial.  Accordingly  prophetic 
influence  combined  with  the  suspension  of  sacrificial  offerings 
in  Babylonia  caused  the  exiles  to  devote  themselves  to 
the  only  form  of  worship  open  to  them,  viz.  prayer^.  The 
effect  of  this  persisted,  as  we  see  in  the  present  passage,  after 
the  return  of  the  exiles  to  Judaea.     Prayer  in  this  verse  takes 

*  Cf.  Dan.  vi.  10. 


ISAIAH  56.  9  245 

which  gathereth  the  outcasts  of  Israel  saith,  Yet  will  I 
gather  others  to  him,  beside  his  own  that  are  gathered. 
All  ye  beasts  of  the  field,  come  to  devour,  j'^a,  all  ye  9 

precedence  of  the  material  offerings  of  sacrifice.  And  the  effect 
became  still  more  far-reaching  and  affected  the  synagogal  worship, 
which  in  the  future  was  destined  to  exercise  so  deep  an  influence 
in  the  Jewish  Diaspora,  among  whom  sacrifices  could  have  no 
place.  Yahweh's  sanctuary  henceforth  became  to  an  increasing 
degree  a  'house  of  prayer.'  Moreover,  it  was  to  become— and 
here  we  see  a  manifest  indication  of  the  leaven  of  the  Servant- 
poems  (cf.  xlix.  6) — a  'prayer-house  for  all  peoples.'  This  last 
conception  is  unfolded  in  verse  8.  In  verse  7  for  accepted 
read  either  '  acceptable  '  or  *  favourably  accepted.'  In  verse  8 
it  would  be  better,  in  place  of  outcasts,  to  read  dispersed  {\,  e.  those 
driven  forth  into  exile).  The  verb  is  used  in  the  same  sense  in 
Jer.  xl.  12,  and  the  expression  seems  to  have  been  derived  from 
Isa.  xi.  12.  In  addition  to  him,  i.  e.  Israel  already  dwelling  in 
Palestine,  and  also  in  addition  to  his  gathered  Israelite  exiles^ 
(R.  V.  'his  gathered  ones"),  others  are  to  be  included.  The 
reference  is  evidently  to  the  Gentile  proselytes. 

Chapters  LVI.  9— LVII.  13. 

A  scathing  denunciation  of  neglectful  rulers  and  idolatrous  people. 

We  pass  into  an  entirely  new  section.  From  words  of 
reassurance  and  comfort  to  the  eunuch  and  the  proselyte  we  are 
suddenly  transported  into  a  stern  denunciation  which  evidently 
stands  in  no  relation  to  what  immediately  precedes.  We  have 
a  severe  rebuke  of  the  sluggishness  and  selfishness  of  the  rulers 
of  the  Jewish  community  in  Canaan.  These  reck  not  that  they 
bring  righteous  men  to  miser}',  but  pursue  the  even  tenour  of 
their  greed  and  drunkenness  (Ivi.  9 — Iviii.,  2).  Then  follows 
a  description  of  idolatrous  practices.  In  many  cases  the  text  is 
corrupt  and  the  meaning  enigmatic  (Ivii.  3-13). 

In  the  earlier  days  of  criticism  (preceding  1890)  this  entire 
passage  was  a  baffling  problem  to  the  critics,  who  regarded 
xl-lxvi  as  almost  entirely  the  product  of  the  exile.  It  was  not 
until  a  closer  analysis  of  these  chapters  had  definitely  assigned 
Ivi-lxvi  to  the  post-exilian  period  that  any  clear  light  was  shed 
on  the  problem.  It  was  not  surprising  that  Eichhorn,  Bleek, 
Ewald,  and  even  Kuenen^  and  Dillmann.  thought  that  we  had 


'   '  His  gathered  ones  '  is  not  a  parallel  phrase  (or  added  gloss,  as 
Konig  takes  it)  to  '  him.'     Perhaps  a  copula  has  dropped  out. 
^  Kuenen,    Historisch-kritische  Einleifung :    Die  prophetischen 


246  ISAIAH  56.  lo 

10  beasts  in  the  forest.     His  watchmen  are  blind,  they  are 


suddenly  stepped  back  into  pre-exilian  times.  It  would  seem  as 
though  we  were  standing  in  the  midst  of  the  darkest  times  of 
idolatry  and  syncretism  in  the  eighth  or  the  seventh  century. 
The  large  number  of  points  of  contact  in  language  between  this 
section  and  Jeremiah  are  noted  in  Cheyne's  careful  survey  in  his 
Introduction,  pp.  318-320.  It  is  not  surprising  that  Ewald's  keen 
eye  noticed  this.  In  his  Propheten  dcs  Alten  Bundes  2,  iii,  p.  103, 
he  institutes  a  comparison  between  this  section  and  Jer.  v.  7-9, 
ag,  ix.  8.  He  draws  the  conclusion  that  the  prophet  of  the  exile 
(to  whom  Ewald,  like  most  critics  of  his  time,  assigned  chap.  Ixv) 
perceived  that  there  were  manifest  tendencies  towards  idolatry  in 
the  days  in  which  he  lived,  and  judged  that  he  could  not  do  better 
than  quote  the  words  of  warning  of  an  older  prophecy  of  the 
pre-exilian  period.  The  parallels  with  Jeremiah  led  Ewald  and 
others  to  fix  on  the  reign  of  Manasseli  with  its  deep  rehgious 
declension  as  the  period  to  which  this  old  prophecy  belonged. 
More  recent  criticism  has  shown  that  it  is  to  the  Books  of  Ezra 
and  Nehemiah  rather  than  to  Jeremiah  we  must  look  for  the 
historic  parallels  as  well  as  to  the  situation  disclosed  by  such 
passages  as  Mai.  ii.  11,  iii.  5;  cf.  Neh.  v.  2-11,  xiii.  23foll.  ; 
cf.  Ezra  ix.  11— x.  11.  That  the  phraseology  of  Jeremiah  and 
Ezekiel  sometimes  recurs  in  the  Trito-Isaiah  we  shall  find  to  be 
characteristic  of  this  post-exilian  document,  which  is  filled  with 
literary  reminiscences  both  from  the  Deutero- Isaiah  and  from 
earlier  writers.  We  may  assign  to  the  present  section  some  date 
subsequent  to  460  b.  c.  It  reflects  the  conditions  that  prevailed 
immediately  before  the  advent  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah. 

9  is  an  ironical  invitation  (apparently  from  Yahweh)  addressed 
to  the  wild  beasts  of  the  field  and  forest  to  come  and  devour  the 
cultivated  land.  They  have  an  excellent  opportunity,  for  the 
watchmen  are  slumbering.  The  metrical  structure  of  this  poem 
consists  of  stanzas  containing  each  four  long  lines,  each  line  con- 
sisting of  the  two  portions  in  the  form  of  the  well-known  Kinah 
or  elegiac  measure,  with  three  accentual  beats  in  the  first  portion 
and  two  in  the  second  : 

'  All  beasts  of  the  field,  come  to  devour — all  beasts  in  the  w6od.' 

Forms  with  archaic  terminations  are  employed  to  express 
'beasts'  and  'field,'  which  remind  us  of  the  same  characteristic 

Biicher,  p.  133,  holds  that  Ivi.  9 — Ivii.  \\a  are  a  pre-exilian  passage 
which  the  author  of  verses  1 1^-20  quotes  and  delivers  as  an  address  of 
warning  to  his  contemporaries — a  view  not  essentially  different  from 
that  of  previous  critics. 


ISAIAH  56.  II  247 

all  without  knowledge;  they  are  all  dumb  dogs,  they 
cannot  bark ;  dreaming,  lying  down,  loving  to  slumber. 
Yea,  the  dogs  are  greedy,  they  can  never  have  enough ;  i  r 

forms  in  other  post-exilian  literature,  viz.  P  (Gen,  i.  24),  and 
seem  to  have  been  an  affectation  of  style  at  that  period.  It  is 
hardly  possible  to  identify  the  '  wild  beasts '  with  any  special 
community  (e.  g.  the  Samaritans)  or  race.  It  may  have  been 
a  general  designation  of  Israel's  foes. 

10.  Probably  we  ought  with  Duhm  to  substitute  the  Hebrew 
for  '  my  watchmen  *  for  the  obscure  form  which  stands  in  the 
original,  which  the  LXX  interpreted  as  an  imperative  ('  watch 
ye,'  or  'behold').  The  latter  part  of  this  line  in  our  Hebrew 
text  is  obviously  defective.  The  expression  '  know  not '  (R.  V. 
without  kuowledg^e)  requires  an  infinitive  verb  in  Hebrew  to 
supplement  it.  The  metre  is  certainly  improved  by  it,  and  the 
LXX  shows  that  a  verb  '  to  show  understanding '  ((fypovijaai) 
should  be  added.  We  may  therefore  follow  Duhm  and  Cheyne 
in  completing  the  line  thus  : 

*  My  watchmen  are  all  of  them  blind — know  not  h6w  to  give 
heed'  (hdbin.  cf.  verse  11). 

The  term  'watchmen'  is  so  frequently  employed  in  prophecy 
to  designate  the  prophets  (cf.  Jer.  vi.  17;  Ezek.  iii.  17;  xxxiii.  7,&c.) 
that  there  is  no  need  to  include  under  this  term  the  rulers  of  the 
people  as  some  commentators  prefer  to  do.  These  degenerate 
watchmen  are  compared  to  dogs  that  are  too  lazy  and  sleepy  to 
bark  at  the  intruder.  Whether  the  dogs  here  are  thought  of  as 
house-dogs  or  the  hounds  that  guard  the  flock  (Job  xxx.  i)  is 
not  directly  stated.  But  the  latter  may  be  definitely  concluded 
from  the  mention  of  '  shepherds  '  in  the  following  verse.  The 
'  watchmen/  i.  e.  the  prophets,  are  not  alert  to  make  their  warning 
voice  heard  at  the  approach  of  danger  to  the  state,  as  God's  true 
prophets  should  do  (Ezek.  xxxiii.  6),  but  are  '  maiindering  *,  lying 
still — living  to  slumber.' 

11.  These  degenerate  watch-dogs  are  still  further  described.. 
The  verse  should  be  rendered  thus : 

'Yea,  the  ddgs  are  strdng   in   appetite — know    not  h6w   to 

become  satiated. 
Even  they  the  shepherds — know  not  h6w  to  give  heed. 
All  of  them  have  turned  to  their  own  course— each  and  all  to 
his  own  gain.'  .    

'  The  verbal  form  in  the  original  appears  to  be  unique,  LXX 
render  '  dreaming,'  Symm.  '  visionaries.'  The  Arabic  parallel  form 
means  'talk  drivel,'  *  rave.' 


248  ISAIAH  56.  12— 57.  i 

and  these  are  shepherds  that  cannot  understand :  they 
have  all  turned  to  their  own  way,  each  one  to  his  gain, 

T  2  from  every  quarter.  Come  ye,  say  they^  I  will  fetch  wine, 
and  we  will  fill  ourselves  with  strong  drink;  and  to-morrow 
shall  be  as  this  day,  a  day  great  beyond  measure. 

57      The  righteous   perisheth,   and   no  man   layeth   it   to 

The  text  in  the  last  two  long  lines  is  by  no  means  certain,  as 
a  reference  to  the  LXX  will  show.  We  have  followed  in  the 
second  line  the  slight  emendation  proposed  by  Dillmann.  The 
reconstruction  adopted  by  Duhm  and  followed  by  Cheyne  is 
purely  hipothetical.  The  LXX  read  the  word  rendered 
shepherds  iroim)  as  the  Hebrew  for  '  evil  ones  '  [rd'tm).  Our 
Massoretic  Hebrew  text  was  obviously  right  in  reading  the  original 
as  they  did,  for  the  expression  '  shepherds '  is  thoroughly  appro- 
priate to  the  context,  and  here  signifies  the  elders  or  rulers  of  the 
people,  as  contrasted  with  the  w^atch-dogs  of  the  flock,  which 
represent  the  watchmen  or  prophets.  This  word  for  'shepherd' 
(ro'eh)  is  frequently  employed  in  the  O.  T,  to  designate  ruler 
or  king  (2  Sam.  v.  2,  vii.  7  ;  Jer.  ii.  8,  iii.  15,  xxiii.  i,  4  ;  Ezek. 
xxxiv.  2  foil.,  xxxvii.  24  ;  Mic.  v.  3;  Nah.  iii.  18;  Ps.  Ixxviii.  71  ; 
Zech.  xi.  5).  The  same  word  in  Assyrian,  rPu,  is  constantly  used 
in  this  sense  of  ruler  (^and  the  abstract  riitiu  in  the  sense  of 
'  rule ').  The  first  part  of  this  long  line  seems  to  be  metrically 
too  short.  The  third  long  line  appears  uncertain  at  its  close  when 
we  compare  the  LXX.  The  last  word  rendered  above  in  R.  V, 
from  every  quarter,  and  in  R.  V.  marg.,  quite  correctly,  'one 
and  all ','  is  somewhat  strange,  and  there  is  no  equivalent  for  it  in 
the  LXX  rendering. 

12  is  entirely  omitted  in  the  LXX  (except  in  inferior  MSS.). 
TTiis  is  not,  however,  a  sufficient  reason  for  regarding  it  as 
a  later  addition.  The  freshness  and  force  of  its  phraseology  and 
its  adaptation  to  the  context  are  strong  reasons  for  accepting  it  as 
original.  It  is  a  vivid  representation  of  the  speech  of  one  of  the 
careless  rulers  who  glories  in  a  good  carouse  : 

'  Come,   let  me  fetch  wine — that  we  may  drink  our  fill  of 
strong  drink » ' 

Chapter  LVH. 

Verses  1-3  are  a  continuation  of  the  same  theme  viewed  from 
another  aspect.      It  describes  the  ruin  of  the  victims  of  misrule 

^  The  same  idiom  occurs  in  Gen.  xix.  4;  Ezek.  xxv.  9,  xxxiii.  2  ; 
Jer.  11.  31;  cf.  Gen.  xlvii.  2.  The  Hebrew  original  means  literally 
*  from  his  end,'  a  condensed  expression  for  '  from  one  end  to  the 
other'  (cf.  Exod.  xxvi.  28),  hence  it  means  'all  without  exception.' 


ISAIAH  57.  2  249 

heart ;  and  merciful  men  are  taken  away,  none  consider- 
ing that  the  righteous  is  taken  away  from  the  evil  to 
come.     He  entereth  into  peace ;  they  rest  in  their  beds,  2 
each  one  that  walketh  in  his  uprightness. 

and  gross  negligence.  Righteous  men,  the  devoted  followers  of 
God,  perish  while  none  pay  any  heed. 

1-2.  Emphasis  belongs  to  the  word  rigfhteous,  which  stands 
first  in  the  sentence  in  the  original  in  order  to  bring  out  the 
contrast  with  the  careless  intoxicated  ruler. 

The  'righteous'  here  corresponds  to  the  'men  of  devoted 
piety '  in  the  following  parallel  clause,  who  in  the  later  days 
of  the  Maccabees  (168  b.  c.  and  after)  meet  us  under  the  name  of 
the  Hasidint,  the  forerunners  of  the  Pharisees.  The  rendering 
'  merciful '  is  misleading,  and  the  alteration  supplied  in  R.  V. 
marg.  '  godly '  is  certainly  an  improvement.  The  original  properly 
means  'men  of  piety'  {hesed).  Besed  is  frequently  used  in  the 
O.  T.  in  the  sense  of  loving-kindness.  "When  used  in  reference 
to  God  it  expresses  somewhat  the  same  thing  as  the  Latin  pietas, 
viz.  man's  attitude  of  loving  devotion  to  his  God. 

The  last  long  line  includes  the  first  clause  of  verse  2,  as  the 
shorter  portion  of  the  elegiac  line  thus  : 

'  For  because  ^  of  the  evil  the  righteous  one  has  been  '^arried 
off— enters  into  peace.' 

The  word  Ki  in  Hebrew,  rendered  here  for,  can  also  bear  the 
meaning  *  that '  {oti).  The  latter  is  the  meaning  assigned  to  it  by 
R.  v.,  who  connect  the  sentence  with  the  previous  line,  'while 
none  take  heed  (or  'observe,'  R.  V.  'consider')  that  the  righteous 
is  taken  away.'  Either  construction  may  be  adopted.  The 
peace  of  course  means  the  peace  of  the  grave,  as  the  following 
words  clearly  imply  : 

'They  rest  upon  their  beds— going  on  their  straight  course.' 

The  number  changes  from  the  singular  of  the  previous  line  to  the 
plural  in  this,  lapsing  back  into  the  singular  in  the  closing  portion 
(Jit.  *  going  on  his  straight  course ').  The  beds  are  synonyms  for  the 
graves  in  which  the  righteous  rest  (cf.  Ezek.  xxxii.  25  ;  Job  iii, 
13  foil.).  'The  straight  course'  means  the  life  of  uprightness,  as 
the    R.  V.    understands  it.     But   it   must    be  confessed  that  the 


'  We  have  rendered  the  Heb.  mipp^ne  '  because  of  '  rather  than 
*  from  the  presence  of.'  Cf.  the  usage  in  Gen.  vi.  13  ;  Exod.  viii.  20 ; 
Judges  vi.  6;  Ezek.  xiv.  15.  The  R.  V.  renders  'from  the  evil  (to 
romp\'     We  prefer  the  interpretation  of  R.  W  marg. 


250  ISAIAH  57.  3 

3      But  draw  near  hither,  ye  sons  of  the  sorceress,  the 

phraseology  is  strange  and  suggestive  of  corruption  in  the  text, 
and  this  suspicion  is  certainly  confirmed  by  the  LXX,  who  render 
verse  2,  '  His  grave  shall  be  in  peace  ;  he  has  been  carried  off 
from  the  midst,'  from  a  much  briefer  text,  the  last  clause  ('  going 
on  his  straight  course')  being  altogether  omitted,  either  because 
it  was  absent  from  the  earlier  Hebrew  copies  which  they  used 
and  was  inserted  in  later  ones  as  a  gloss,  or  because  it  was  not 
understood.  From  the  metrical  point  of  view  the  latter  seems 
not  improbable,  and  it  appears  to  be  suggested  by  the  tameness  of 
expression  in  the  Greek  rendering. 

Verses  3-13  refer  to  the  idolatrous  practices  which  prevailed 
among  the  Jewish  population  in  Palestine.  The  denunciation  is 
now  directed  to  another  class  of  the  people  than  the  leaders  in 
Jerusalem,  without  any  definite  indication  of  who  they  are.  This, 
however,  we  can  easily  gather  from  what  follows  as  well  as  from 
the  references  in  other  portions  of  the  O.  T.  (2  Kings  xxiii.  foil., 
Zephaniah,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel,  Ezra,  and  Nehemiah).  They  con- 
sisted of  those  who  had  resided  in  the  land  of  Canaan  during  the 
period  of  the  exile,  and  were  by  no  means  in  sympathy  with  the 
rules  of  conduct  observed  by  the  returning  exiles,  and  constituted 
a  serious  hindrance  to  Reform.  Tiiey  were  in  friendly  alliance 
with  the  Samaritans,  and  desired  to  perpetuate  the  lax  usages  in 
cultus  and  intermarriage  with  Canaanite  populations  which  the 
Deuteronomic  legislation  was  designed  to  prevent  (Deut.  vii.  1-4). 

3-5.  The  new  strophe  is  addressed  in  scathing  terms  of 
rebuke  to  those  who  practice  the  heathen  rites  which  prevailed  in 
Canaan  from  of  old.  Magic  went  hand  in  hand  with  idolatrous 
ritual,  and,  since  these  practices  of  magic  and  necromancy  were 
largely  carried  on  by  women  (Hastings'  DB.,  art.  'Magic,'  p.  208, 
left-hand  column  ad  fin.),  the  devotees  of  magical  or,  more 
properly,  sooflisaytng  practice  are  called  in  accordance  with 
Semitic  idiom  sons  of  the  sorceress'.  The  Hebrew  word 
rendered  here  '  sorceress  '  properh'  means  the  female  '  Soothsaver ' 
(see  art.  'Soothsayer'  in  Hastings'  DB.,  p.  601).  These  practices 
had  been  definitely  forbidden  by  the  Deuteronomic  legislation 
(621  B.  c.)  more  than  150  years  previous  to  the  date  when  these 
words  were  in  all  probability  written  (Deut.  xyiii.  9-15).  The 
source  of  these  Canaanite  practices  was  probably  in  the  main 
Babylonia,  but  that  thej'  came  from  Arabia  as  well  seems  to  be 
indicated  by  Jer.  xlix.  7  ;  cf.  Obad.  8. 

^  LXX  vioi  dvo/xoi  ^-  S\ncked  (lawless)  ones'  suggests  the  Heb. 
text  *ii^  "-n  a?;  Ottley  indicates  ;  but  the  reading  of  our  Heb.  text  is 
preferable. 


ISAIAH  57.  4,  5  251 

seed  of  the  adulterer  and  the  whore.     Against  whom  do  4 
ye   sport   yourselves  ?   against   whom   make  ye  a  wide 
mouth,  and  draw  out  the  tongue  ?  are  ye  not  children  of 
transgression,  a  seed  of  falsehood,  ye  that  inflame  your-  5 
selves  among  the  oaks,  under  every  green  tree  ;  that  slay 

3.  The  writer  follows  the  conceptions  of  Hosea  in  regarding 
the  IsraeHtes  who  pursued  such  idolatrous  practices  as  guilty 
of  faithlessness  to  Yahweh,  who  is  portrayed  in  Hosea  i-iii 
(cf.  Ezek.  xvi.  3  foil.)  as  Israel'  s  husband,  whom  Israel  deserts. 
Hence  the  alternative  epithets  with  which  verse  3  closes.  These, 
however,  are  based  on  the  reading  of  the  LXX  ^,  which  the  R  .V. 
rightly  prefers  to  that  of  the  Massoretic  Hebrew  text. 

4.  The  opening  words  form  the  shorter  part  of  the  long  elegiac 
line  whose  first  and  longer  portion  closed  the  previous  verse. 
The  question  'against  whom  do  ye  disport  yourselves?'  in  your 
wild  abandonment  to  the  dissipations  of  a  licentious  heathenism, 
is  an  indignant  exclamation  followed  by  others  descriptive  of  the 
scornful  attitude — '  opening  wide  the  mouth,'  *  extending  the 
tongue'  (cf.  Ps.  xxii.  7  [8  Heb.],  xxxv.  21)— directed  against  the 
faithful  follower  of  Yahweh  that  is  evidently  alluded  to  under  the 
interrog.  Whom?  We  have  here  depicted  just  that  spirit  of 
antagonism  on  the  part  of  the  old  Jewish  inhabitants  towards 
the  home-coming  exiles  (who  were  pious  followers  of  the  pure 
prophetic  religion  of  Yahweh)  that  is  reflected  in  the  Book  of 
Nehemiah  iv.  i  foil.  (iii.  33  foil.  Heb.),  in  which  are  described  the 
scorn  and  resistance  of  the  Samaritans  and  their  adherents 
towards  Nehemiah  and  his  measures  of  reform. 

5  is  a  reference  to  the  unbridled  sexual  licence  that  charac- 
terized the  worship  of  the  High  Places  in  the  dark  days  that 
intervened  between  the  time  of  Haggai  as  well  as  Zechariah  and 
the  advent  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  when  the  state  of  degeneracy 
in  the  reign  of  Manasseh  appeared  to  revive.  Duhm,  followed  by 
Cheyne  and  Marti,  rejects  this  verse  as  an  insertion  on  insufficient 
grounds,  whether  metric  or  otherwise.  That  it  forms  an  extra 
couplet  to  the  usual  four  long-lined  stanza  is  rather  an  indication 
that  we  have  here  an  additional  and  defective  stanza,  i.  e.  with 
two  lines  lost  (perhaps  omitted  on  account  of  their  ceremonial 
allusions).  Though  the  metric  length  seems  irregular  in  two 
instances,  the  irregularity  may  be  paralleled  in  other  verses  of 
this  extract,  e.  g.  Ivi.  106,  Ivii.  i  6  in  the  original. 

The  word  here  rendered  in  R.  V.  oaks  should  be  translated 

^  i.  e.  n:iri  instead  of  n:tn\ 


252  ISAIAH   57.  6 

the  children  in  the  valleys,  under  the  clefts  of  the  rocks  ? 

6  Among  the  smooth  stones  of  the  valley  is  thy  portion ; 

they,  they  are  thy  lot :  even  to  them  hast  thou  poured 

a  drink  offering,  thou  hast  offered  an  oblation.     Shall  I 

'terebinths.'  The  LXX  confused  it  with  the  like  word  meaning 
'gods,'  and  therefore  mistranslated  it  by  'idols.'  On  the  sacrifice 
of  children  to  the  varying  deities  called  Ba'al  (a  general  desig- 
nation for  any  deity  residing  in  and  owning  a  sacred  spot),  cf. 
Jer.  xix.  5  ;  Ezek.  xxiii.  39.  This  terrible  rite  was  specially 
characteristic  of  Moloch  worship  (Jer.  vii.  31,  xxxii.  35,  &c.). 
The  chief  place  for  such  sacrifices  was  the  valley  of  Hinnom 
{Ge-Hinnom,  later  Ge-henna,  a  designation  in  later  Judaism  of 
Hell),  south  of  Jerusalem. 

6.  The  translation  of  the  R.  V.  above  is  correct.  The  rendering 
'  smooth  places '  (Gesenius,  De  Wette,  Hitzig)  is  pointless. 
Ibn  'Ezra,  Kimhi,  Lowth,  Ewald,  Delitzsch,  and  recently 
Cheyne  and  Marti,  concur  in  the  rendering  given  above.  In  the 
original  there  is  a  fine  alliterative  play  of  words  between  that 
which  stands  for  '  smooth  stones '  and  for  '  portion '  which 
cannot  be  well  reproduced  in  our  language.  The  'smooth 
stones'  are  the  water-worn  boulders  of  the  rocky  defile  which 
in  the  hoary  antiquity  of  mankind,  and  especially  of  Semitic 
heathendom,  served  as  stone-symbols  which  also  embodied  a  divine 
numen  or  deity.  See  art.  '  Pillar  *  in  Hastings'  DB.  Upon 
these  primitive  upright  stones  the  blood,  or  in  some  cases  the  oil, 
of  the  sacrificial  offering  was  poured  or  smeared  (cf.  Gen.  xxviii. 
t8).  The  religious  significance  of  the  smooth  stones  is  made 
clear  by  the  line  which  follows  in  this  verse : 

'Also   to    them   hast   thou  poured    forth   a  drink-offering — 
brought  up  offering  of  meal.' 

Here  the  drink-offering'  of  which  the  deity  was  supposed  to 
partake  consisted  of  the  blood  of  the  slaughtered  victim.  Such 
drink-offerings  presented  to  foreign  deities,  represented  by  rough 
upright  blocks  of  stone,  this  writer,  like  the  Psalmist  who  wrote 
Ps.  xvi.  4\  utterly  reprobates.  The  '  offering  of  meal '  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  line  is  expressed  in  Hebrew  by  a  term  {niinhali)  ~ 
which  is  used  in  post-exilian  literature  (e.  g.  the  Priestercodex) 

'  Both  the  language  and  ideas  of  this  Psalm  render  it  highly 
probable  that  the  writer  belonged  to  the  same  age  and  religious 
community  as  the  Trito-Isaiah ;  see  Bathgen's  introductory  remarks. 

^  See  Driver's  full  note  on  this  term  in  Mai.  i.  10  {Century  Bible, 
Minor  Prophets,  vol.  ii). 


ISAIAH  57.  7,  8  253 

be  appeased  for  these  things?   Upon  a  high  and  lofty  7 
mountain  hast  thou  set  thy  bed :    thither  also  wentest 
thou  up  to  offer  sacrifice.     And  behind  the  doors  and  8 
the  posts  hast  thou  set  up  thy  memorial  :   for  thou  hast 
discovered  thyself  to  another  than  me,  and  art  gone  up ; 

to  designate  the  vegetable  as  opposed  to  the  flesh  or  bloody 
offerings  {zehhah).  This  distinctive  use  of  the  term,  however,  is 
not  maintained  in  pre-exilian  Hebrew,  where  minltah  simply  means 
a  sacrificial  gift  whether  of  flesh  or  meal  (cf.  Gen.  iv.  3-5 — J, 
where  both  the  ofTering  of  Abel  and  that  of  Cain  are  called 
minhah.)  Here  we  see  an  indication  of  the  post-exilian  origin 
of  this  chapter.  These  idolatrous  rites,  exclaims  the  writer,  are 
the  portion  and  lot  of  you,  the  faithless  Israelites  of  Palestine, 
who  are  opposed  to  the  true  religion  of  Yahweh.  Contrast  the 
attitude  of  the  faithful  follower  of  Yahweh  in  Ps.  xvi.  5. 

The  last  clause  of  the  verse  should  be  rendered  '  on  account  ot 
these  am  I  to  find  my  satisfaction  ? '  But  Duhm,  followed  by 
Cheyne  and  other  critics,  suspect  this  as  a  later  gloss. 

*l.  We  pass  from  the  valley  to  the  mountain  height.  We 
know  that  mountains  were  often  sanctuaries,  as  the  proper  names 
Hermon,  Baal  Zephon,  &c.,  clearly  show.  In  the  days  of  Ahab 
and  his  Syrian  campaigns,  Yahweh,  in  the  opinion  of  Israel's 
Northern  foes,  was  regarded  as  a  God  of  the  mountains.  Here 
of  course  the  reference  is  either  to  the  idolatrous  or  to  the 
syncretic  worship  on  the  mountains,  regarded  by  this  writer,  as 
bj^  Hosea,  in  the  light  of  unfaithfulness  to  Yahweh,  or  harlotry. 
In  accordance  with  this  conception  we  may  interpret  the  '  bed '  in 
the  first  long  line  of  this  verse. 

8,  We  have  here  references  to  ritual  which  are  very  obscure. 
What  is  meant  by  the  Hebrew  word  here  rendered  memorial? 
The  context,  which  is  full  of  ritual  terms  and  allusions,  leads  us 
irresistibly  to  the  conclusion  that  we  have  in  this  word  a  similar 
expression.  Some  hold  that  it  designates  a  magic  symbol,  the 
figure  of  a  protective  demon  or  deity.  We  are  led  to  this  con- 
clusion by  the  mention  of  the  doors  and  door-posts.  The 
threshold  of  a  sanctuary  was  held  to  bs  a  place  of  peril  to 
the  worshipper,  and  needed  safeguarding  against  demons  (see 
illustrations  in  the  latter  part  of  the  note  on  Isa.  vi.  2).  We 
might  therefore  understand  the  word  for  '  memorial '  to  mean 
some  symbolic  figure  or  device  which  was  placed  behind  the 
door-post,  whether  of  house  or  sanctuary,  as  a  deterrent  to  the 
demon.  Duhm,  on  the  other  hand,  considers  that  some  phallus- 
image  was  intended,  and  supports  this  view  by  a  reference  to 
Ezek.  xvi.    17  (note  especially  the  last  clause).     That  both  here 


254  ISAIAH  57.  9 

thou  hast  enlarged  thy  bed,  and  made  thee  a  covenant 

with  them ;  thou  lovedst  their  bed  where  thou  sawest  it. 

9  And  thou  wentest  to  the  king  with  ointment,  and  didst 

and  in  the  passage  from  the  symbolic  chapter  of  Ezekiel  we  have 
an  allusion  to  the  custom  prevailing  among  the  agricultural  popu- 
lation of  Palestine  corresponding  to  the  Priapean  herniae  in 
Europe  is  not  improbable,  and  the  coincidence  of  phraseology 
with  Ezekiel  both  here  and  elsewhere  lends  colour  to  this  view. 
But  the  indications  of  serious  corruption  in  the  text  render  the 
path  of  interpretation  far  from  easy.  For  the  LXX  must  have 
made  their  rendering  of  the  clause  which  immediately  follows 
•  thy  memorial '  from  a  completely  different  Hebrew  text,  whether 
it  be  mistranslated  or  not  :  •  Thou  didst  suppose  that  if  thou 
withdrewest  from  me,  thou  wouldst  win  some  advantage.'  We 
can  therefore  only  regard  Duhm's  attempt  to  emend  and  translate 
our  Massoretic  text  as  purely  hypothetical  : 

'  For  owing  to  it  [i.  e.  the  phallus- image]  thou  didst  uncover 
and  go  lip — madest  broad  thy  bed.' 

In  the  following  hne  'and  thou  didst  make  for  thyself  [a  covenant] 
with  them '  does  not  give  any  satisfactory  sense.  Duhm's 
emendation  harmonizes  with  Ezek.  xvi.  32  foil.,  which  describes 
the  strangely  inverted  relation  between  Israel  and  her  paramours. 
The  elaborate  and  highly  wrought  parable  of  Ezek.  xvi  was 
evidently  in  the  mind  of  the  writer,  as  a  striking  example  will 
presently  show.  Duhm  therefore  emends  the  text,  and  translates 
thus  : 

'And  thou  didst  buy  for  thyself  of  those — whose  intercourse 
thou  didst  love.' 

The  last  line  of  this  difficult  verse  is  mutilated,  and  only  the 
shorter  half  of  the  elegiac  line  has  been  preserved  in  our  Hebrew 
text.  But  the  LXX  rendering  points  us  the  way  to  the  missing 
first  portion  of  the  line  which  it  preserves.  It  is  an  obvious  echo 
from  Ezek.  xvi.  25  (last  clause)  : 

['  And  thou  didst   multiply  thy  harlotry  with    them] — didst 
behold  the  phallus  \' 

9.  The  word  rendered  king"  is  really  the  Ammonite  deity  here 
pronounced  Melech,  properly  Milk  or  Milcom.   The  pronunciation 

'  The  word  '  phallus '  or  memhruni  virile  is  here  represented  by 
the  euphemism  *  hand  '  in  the  original,  the  significance  of  which  was 
first  pointed  out  by  Doderlein.  See  Enno  Littmann's  note  in 
his  Ueber  die  Abfassungszeit  des  Tritojesaia,  p.  17.  The  same 
euphemism  '  hand  '  meets  us  in  the  Avesta. 


ISAIAH  57.  lo  ^55 

increase  thy  perfumes,  and  didst  send  thine  ambassadors 
far  off,  and  didst  debase  thyself  even  unto  hell.     Thou  lo 
wast  wearied  with  the  length  of  thy  way ;  yet  saidst  thou 

Molech  (Moloch)  is  really  artificial,  being  due  to  the  substitution  of 
the  word  bosheih, '  shame,'  whose  vowels  came  to  be  applied  to  the 
consonants  M-l-ch(k).  The  word  bosheth  was  not  infrequentlj' 
employed  in  substitution  for  heathen  deities,  as  Ba'al  (e.  g.  in  the 
names  Ishbosheth,  &c.).  From  Ezra  ix.  i  we  learn  that  even  the 
priests  and  Levites  of  Palestine  followed  Ammonite  cults. 

Here,  again,  Ezek.  xvi  comes  to  our  aid  in  the  restoration  of  the 
text.  Ezek.  xvi.  4  gives  us,  as  Cheyne  suggests,  a  far  more  probable 
reading  than  the  tame  Hebrew  word  for  '  wentest.'  Accordingly 
we  should  follow  Cheyne  in  rendering  : 

'  Thou  didst   also  anoint  thyself  for   Melech  with  oil — and 
didst  lise  many  perfumes.' 

for  Melech  means  '  in  honour  of  the  god  Melech.'  The  LXX 
strangely  blunder  in  their  rendering  of  the  word  for  ^perfumes,' 
whicii  they  confuse  with  a  similar  word  meaning  '  distant.'  The 
reference  of  these  lines  is  to  the  homage  in  cultus  paid  to  the 
god.  The  conception  here  is  the  same  as  that  which  runs 
through  the  preceding  verses  as  well  as  Ezek.  xvi,  based  on 
Hos.  ii.  13  (15  Heb.),  the  foreign  deities  worshipped  by  faithless 
Israel  being  treated  as  paramours.  The  last  line  should  be 
rendered : 

*And  thou  sentest  thine  envoys  afar — yea,  deep  down  to 
Hades/ 
— i.  e.  distant  pilgrimages  were  made  to  the  shrines  of  Melech  and 
other  foreign  deities.  Not  content  with  this,  the  Palestinian 
Jews  were  guilty  of  practising  the  dark  acts  of  necromancy  and 
of  making  offerings  to  the  spirits  of  the  underworld  (cf.  Isa.  viii. 
19  and  note  thereon).  Marti,  in  his  comment  on  this  last  clause, 
thinks  that  there  may  be  a  reference  here  to  the  cult  of  the 
Egyptian  deity  of  the  Lower  World,  Osiris,  which  was  carried 
in  Phoenicia. 

10.  The  first  line  should  be  rendered  as  concessive  : 

'Though  thou  wast  wearied  with  thy  much  journeying— 
thou  saidst  not  ''despaired  of"  '  ^\.  e.  'tis  vain). 
The  line  that  follows  is  once  more  enigmatic,  and  it  is  doubtful 
whether  'thy  hand'  (see  R.  V.  marg.),  which  is  the  literal 
rendering  of  the  original,  should  be  translated  '  thy  strength  '  as 
in  the  R.  V.  rendering  given  above,  or  whether  it  bears  the 
obscene  sense  which  attaches  to  the  term  in  the  closing  line  of 


256  ISAIAH  57.  11,12 

not,  There  is  no  hope :  thou  didst  find  a  quickening  of 
II  thy  strength;   therefore   thou  wast  not  faint.     And  of 

whom  hast  thou  been  afraid  and  in  fear,  that  thou  hest, 

and  hast  not  remembered  me,  nor  laid  it  to  thy  heart? 

have  not  I  held  my  peace  even  of  long  time,  and  thou 
li  fearest  me  not?  I  will  declare  thy  righteousness;  and  as 


verse   8   above    (so    Enno    Littmann   in   his   monograph   Abfas- 
sungsseii  des  Trttojesaia,  p.  16  footnote). 

11.  The  questions  are  intended  to  reveal  the  utter  worthless- 
ness  of  these  objects  of  idolatrous  worship  which  had  seduced 
the  Israelites  from  allegiance  to  their  true  object  of  reverence, 
Yahweh. 

'  And  at  v/hdm  didst   thou  feel  distress  and  fear — that  thou 
shouldst  play  false  ? ' 

In  the  last  line  of  this  verse  the  LXX  suggest  a  better 
vocalization  of  our  Hebrew  text  than  that  which  is  favoured  by 
our  Massoretic  version^  (rendered  in  R.  V.  'of  long  (or  olden) 
time  ').     Accordingly  read  with  Duhm  and  Cheyne  : 

'Surely  I  remained  dumb — and  hid  [mine  eyes] 

yet  me  thou  fearedst  not.' 

The  pathos  of  the  passage  is  restored  to  us  through  the 
emendation  suggested  by  the  LXX.  While  Israel  pursues  the 
utterly  vain  and  debasing  objects  of  her  worship,  Yahweh,  her  true 
Lord  and  Husband,  remains  silent  and  veils  His  eyes  at  her  mis- 
deeds.   The  spirit  of  the  passage  is  that  of  Hosea  (cf.  chaps.  i-iii\ 

12-13.  But  at  length  Yahweh  breaks  silence.  A  judgment  is 
coming  stern  and  sure.  It  is  by  no  means  certain  whetlier  we 
should  read  with  our  traditional  Hebrew  text  thy  rlg-hteousness, 
or  follow  important  LXX  authorities  {<  (according  to  the  hands 
of  two  correctors),  A,  and  Q^  in  reading  *  my  righteousness.' 
If  we  read  the  former,  '  I  will  make  known  thy  righteousness  '  can 
only  be  understood  ironically,  as  Jerome  and  Kimhi,  followed  by 
Rosenmiiller  and  other  commentators  (including  Duhm),  under- 

^  irapopoj  =  ['rs*]  D'I'rg  *  hiding  my  eyes.'  The  object  is  omitted 
in  Ps.  X.  I.  It  is  quite  possible,  as  Duhm's  metrical  arrangement 
suggests,  that  the  object  '  my  eyes '  has  been  dropped  out  of  tfie  text. 

'  For  explanation  of  these  terms  (due  to  Tischendorf)  see  Swete's 
Septuagint,  vol.  i,  p.  xxi,  as  well  as  xvi  {ad  fin.)  in  explanation  of 
the  asterisk. 


ISAIAH  57.  13,  14  257 

for  thy  works,  they  shall  not  profit  thee.     When  thou  ^3 
criest,  let  them  which  thou  hast  gathered  dehver  thee ; 
but  the  wind  shall  take  them,  a  breath  shall  carry  them 
all  away  :  but  he  that  putteth  his  trust  in  me  shall  possess 
the  land,  and  shall  inherit  my  holy  mountain.     And  he  14 


stood  it.  On  the  other  hand,  *  my  righteousness  '  yields  a  perfectly' 
good  sense,  and  this  reading  is  adopted  by  Peshitto,  Lowth,  and 
formerly  by  Cheyne.  The  '  righteousness  '  which  Yahweh  is  about 
to  display  then  stands  contrasted  with  Israel's  evil  works  (i,  e. 
idol-images,  cf.  xli.  26-29),  and  will  be  manifested  in  the  judgment 
which  will  hereafter  overtake  them,  to  which  verse  13  refers. 

The  text  of  this  verse  is,  however,  far  from  certain.  The 
Hebrew  word,  which  is  rendered  somewhat  clumsily  by  them 
which  thou  hast  guthered,  and  more  conveniently  by  '  thy 
collections  ^ '  (i.  e.  of  idols),  is  extremely  doubtful.  Oort  suggests 
the  more  ordinary  term  '  thy  abominations  '  as  an  emendation, 
which  Cheyne  adopts.  But  the  I.XX  read  quite  a  different  word 
in  their  Hebrew  original,  viz.  'in  thy  affliction ^'  and  on  the 
whole  this  improves  the  parallehsm.  Accordingly,  connecting  the 
close  of  verse  12  with  verse  13,  we  should  read  : 

<  And    they    shall    not    profit    thee    when    thou    criest-in- 

distress— nor^  deliver  thee  in  thine  affliction. 
All  of  them  shall  a  blast  carry  aloft— a  breath  take  them  ; 
But  he  that  seeks   refuge  in  me   shall  inherit   the  land- 
shall  gain  possession  of  my  holy  hill.' 

Here  they  and  them  in  the  first  two  lines  refer  to  the  idols 
or  works  of  Israel's  hands.  In  the  last  two  lines  the  contrast  is 
sharply  drawn  between  the  corrupt  dwellers  in  Palestine,  the 
'false  brethren,'  and  the  true  followers  of  Yahweh  whom  the 
former  oppressed  (Neh.  i.  3),  and  almost  compelled  to  flee  from 
the  country  (cf.  Isa.  Ixvi.  5).  These  latter  are  assured  of  the 
final  possession  of  God's  holy  hill  Zion.  This  last  line  forms 
a  natural  transition  to  what  follows,  but  it  is  also  an  integral 
portion  of,  and  an  appropriate  close  to,  the  preceding  elegiac  poem 


'  Duhm  understands  this  to  mean  the  collections  or  gatherings  of 
the  harlot's  (i-  e.  Israel's)  hire.  Either  view  may  be  supported  by 
a  reference  to  Mic.  i.  7. 

■^  6u  T77  6\i\pei  aov,  Heb.  "nnn^S. 

••  The  force  of  the  negative  in  the  preceding  clause  continues 
in  this. 


258  ISAIAH  57.  15 

shall  say,  Cast  ye  up,  cast  ye  up^  prepare  the  way,  take  up 
the  stumblingblock  out  of  the  way  of  my  people. 

For  thus  saith  the  high  and  lofty  One  that  inhabiteth 
eternity,  whose  name  is  Holy  :  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy 
place,  with  him  also  that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble  spirit, 
to  revive  the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to  revive  the  heart 

of  denunciation.     Considerations   of  metre  clearly  point    to  this 
conclusion. 

Verses  14-21.  The  promise  of  Divine  help  to  the  faithful  followers 
of  Yahweh  who  are  oppressed  and  afflicted. 

This  poem  is  evidently  in  the  style  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah.  Its 
opening  is  an  obvious  echo  of  xl.  3;  cf.  xlix.  11. 

14.  And  lie  shall  say.  The  speaker  is  evidently  Yahweh,  as 
the  immediately  following  expression  'my  people  *  clearly  indicates. 
The  Vulgate  (followed  by  Lowth)  would  punctuate  the  verb 
differently,  and  render  'And  I  will  say.'  But  neither  this  change 
nor  an  altered  punctuation  of  the  copula  (which  makes  it  a  Waw 
consecutive)  meaning  'And  I  said  '  is  any  aid  to  sense.  Metrical 
considerations,  as  well  as  the  connexion  of  this  poem  with  the 
preceding,  render  it  probable  that  we  have  here  a  redactional 
link,  perhaps  based  on  xl.  6  (Duhm),  which  might  well  be 
removed  from  the  text. 

On  the  phraseology  cf.  xl.  3  and  note.  The  stumbling-block 
consisted  in  the  moral  and  other  impediments  to  a  return  of  the 
pious  exiles  who  still  rem.ained  in  Babylonia  and  the  restoration 
of  a  spiritual  theocracy  in  Zion.  The  poem  which  precedes  this 
clearly  illustrates  that  the  hindrances  in  the  main  consisted  in  an 
impure  life  and  cultus  arising  from  admixture,  chiefly  through 
marriage,  with  foreign  Canaanite  populations.  A  large  part  of 
the  activity  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  was  devoted  to  the  removal 
of  these  obstructions  (Ezra  ix,  x  ;  Neh.  xiii.  1-3,  23-31).  To 
this  of  course  must  be  added  the  opposition  of  the  Samaritan 
community  and  their  allies  (cf.  Neh.  ii.  19 — vi.  14). 

15.  The  LXX  after  the  word  for  'eternity'  had  an  extended 
text:  'holy  among  holy  ones  is  His  name,  dwelling  highest 
among  holy  ones.'  It  is  hardly  probable  that  this  represents 
the  original  text,  even  if  it  were  metrically  conformable.  It  is 
obviously  an  extension,  reflecting  the  angelology  of  a  later  day, 
and  based  on  the  shorter  original  text  which  we  have  before  us. 

For  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  place  substitute  the 
rendering  '  I  dwell  in  the  height  and  as  holy  one.'  The  height 
here  is  heaven,  Yahweh's  real  and  proper  abode.   Compare  the  same 


ISAIAH 


259 


of  the  contrite  ones.     For  I  will  not  contend  for  ever,  16 
neither  will  I  be  always  wroth :  for  the  spirit  should  fail 

use  of  the  word  for  'height'  in  chap.  xl.  26;  cf.  xxiv.  18,  21; 
Ps.  vii.  8,  xviii.  17.  The  same  word  {mdrom)  is  employed  in 
Jerem.  xxxi.  13,  Hab.  ii.  9,  of  the  mountain  height  of  Zion.  But 
that  is  obviously  not  the  meaning  here  (comp.  Ixvi.  i).  The  other 
attribute  'holy'  is  used  in  the  sense  which  it  bears  in  Isa.  vi.  3  ; 
in  fact  it  was  Isaiah  who  was  the  first  to  lay  stress  on  this  term 
{Kddosh)  as  the  expression  of  Yahweh's  ethical  greatness,  purity, 
and  inaccessibility  (see  note  on  Isa.  vi.  3).  The  expression  '  Holy 
one  of  Israel'  passed  from  the  Proto-Isaiah  to  the  Deutero-Isaiah, 
and  the  same  word  '  holy '  reappears  here. 

The  next  clause  introduces  a  contrast,  and  the  copula  which 
commences  it  should  be  rendei-ed  accordingly  :  '  Yet  with  the 
crushed  and  humbled  in  spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the  humbled, 
and  to  revive  the  heart  of  the  crushed.'  Once  more  we  note  the 
strains  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah,  especially  the  recurrence  of  the  ideas 
of  chap.  xl.  The  contrasted  ideas  of  xl.  15-18,  22-23,  26, 
on  the  one  hand  and  of  xl.  11,  29-31  on  the  other  are  brought 
within  the  compass  of  this  single  verse — God's  infinite  greatness 
meeting  man's  limitations,  poverty,  and  need.  The  '  crushed ' 
and  '  humbled '  spirit  was  the  prevailing  attitude  of  mind  in  the 
days  of  Nehemiah  (cf.  Neh.  i.  3)  among  the  returned  Jewish  exiles 
and  their  sons  who  had  come  back  to  Zion  inspired  with  the 
splendid  ideals  and  hopes  to  which  the  Deutero-Isaiah  had  given 
utterance,  but  had  suffered  bitter  disillusionment  during  the  weary 
decades  that  had  passed  by  marked  by  reaction,  the  dominance  of 
old  idolatrous  practices,  and  the  continued  obstacles  placed  by 
the  old  inhabitants,  sustained  by  Samaritan  intrigues,  in  the  path 
of  spiritual  progress  and  reform  in  worship.  Of  the  spiritual 
declension  we  have  clear  indications  in  Mai.  i.  6-8,  13  foil.,  ii. 
2  foil.,  8  foil.,  II  foil.  In  fact  the  attitude  of  contrition  which  this 
verse  commends  (in  the  Trito-Isaiah)  finds  its  exact  obverse  in 
Mai.  iii.  15  foil.,  where  the  opposite  spirit,  which  congratulates 
the  presumptuous  and  worldly,  is  condemned.  It  is  not  with  them 
that  God's  spirit  dwells,  but  rather  with  those  whom  the  rich  and 
powerful  oppress,  'the  hireling,  the  widow — and  the  fatherless' 
(Mai.  iii.  5),  as  well  as  with  the  pious  follower  of  Yahvveh  who 
v/alked  before  Him  in  mourning  garb  (Mai.  iii.  14  ;  see  Driver's 
note  in  Century  Bible). 

16  states  the  grounds  of  Divine  sympathy  with  the  afflicted  and 
humble  to  which  the  preceding  verse  gave  expression.  It  is  God's 
purpose  to  revive,  not  to  destroy  by  continued  judgments  of 
wrath,  as  the  exiles  might  well  have  imagined  from  the  sad  histor3^ 
of  the  past,  and  especially  of  the  last  sixty  years,  which  had  ex- 

S    2 


26o  ISAIAH  57.  17,  i8 

17  before  me,  and  the  souls  which  I  have  made.  For  the 
iniquity  of  his  covetousness  was  I  wroth  and  smote  him, 
I  hid  my  face  and  was  wroth  :  and  he  went  on  frowardly 

18  in  the  way  of  his  heart.  I  have  seen  his  ways,  and  will 
heal  him  :  I  will  lead  him  also,  and  restore  comforts 

cited    a   feeling   of  utter  despair.     For  should  fail  read  '  faints 
away'  or  preferably  (with  Cheyne)  'would  faint,' 

17.  The  grounds  for  the  past  discipline  of  Divine  wrath  are 
here  given.  The  social  oppression  which  prevailed  in  the  Hebrew 
population  of  the  eighth  century  (Isa.  v.  7-9,  see  Introduction 
in  vol.  i,  pp.  42  foil.)  continued  in  the  fifth,  as  Zech.  vii.  8  foil, 
indicates  and  Mai.  iii.  5  and  Neh.  v  clearly  prove.  If  we  read 
the  text  as  it  stands  before  us  in  the  traditional  Hebrew  version  and 
render  it  as  above,  which  is  the  interpretation  of  most  commenta- 
tors, including  Kittel  and  Duhm,  we  have  here  an  evident  re- 
ference to  the  rapacity  of  the  rich  and  their  oppression  of  the 
poor,  to  which  chap.  Iviii  bears  abundant  testimony  (verses  3,  4, 
6,  9).  Unfortunately  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that  we  have  the 
original  text.  The  LXX  render :  '  Owing  to  sin  I  have  afflicted 
him  a  short  time'  Accordingly  Cheyne  adopts  the  Hebrew  for 
*  a  short  time '  in  the  place  of  the  word  for  '  his  covetousness  ^,'  and 
renders  :  '  For  his  guilt  I  was  wrath  for  a  moment.'  The  following 
clause  is  more  idiomatically  translated  :  '  and  smote  him,  concealing 
(my  face)  in  wrath.'  The  word  rendered  '  froward '  in  the  next 
clause  is  a  favourite  one  in  Jeremiah,  and  means  *  unfaithfnl/ 
'rebellious'  (Jer.  iii.  14,  22;   cf.  xxxi.  22,  xlix.  4). 

Here  '  hiding  the  face '  from  a  person  is  the  reverse  of  '  lifting 
up  the  countenance  upon'  him  (=  showing  him  favour,  Num. 
vi.  26 ;  cf.  Prov.  xvi.  15). 

18.  Though  God  has  seen  Israel's  rebellious  ways  in  the  past, 
yet  there  is  to  be  healing  rather  than  chastisement.  The  words 
of  comfort  in  these  verses  are  evidently  addressed  to  the  faithful 
and  repentant  portion  of  the  Zion  community,  who  are  sliarply 
distinguished  from  the  wicked  and  unfaithful  (cf.  verses  20, 
21)  who  persist  in  their  evil  ways. 

Duhm  would  place  the  opening  words  of  this  verse  in  connexion 
with  the  last  clause  of  the  previous  one,  and  withdraw  the  ex- 
pression '  saith  the  Lord  ( Yahweh) '  from  the  latter  part  of  verse 
19,  where  there  is  a  like  ending  through  an  error  of  the  scribe. 
We  should  then  render  thus  : 

*  And  he  went  on  rebellious  in  the  way  of  his  heart — 18.  his 
ways  have  I  seen,  saith  Yahweh.' 

rn  (properly  *  a  moment ')  in  place  of  ij^S?. 


ISAIAH  57.  19—58.  I  261 

unto  him  and  to  his  mourners.     I  create  the  fruit  of  the  19 
lips  :   Peace,  peace,  to  him  that  is  far  off  and  to  him  that 
is  near,  saith  the  Lord  ;  and  I  will  heal  him.     But  the  20 
wicked  are  like  the  troubled  sea ;  for  it  cannot  rest,  and 
its  waters  cast  up  mire  and  dirt.     There  is  no  peace,  21 
saith  my  God,  to  the  wicked. 

Cry  aloud,  spare  not,  lift  up  thy  voice  like  a  trumpet,  58 
and  declare  unto  my  people  their  transgression,  and  to 

This  is  an  ingenious  and  not  improbable  rearrangement.  *  His 
ways  have  I  seen '  will  then  mean  I  have  marked  his  evil  courses. 
The  next  line  will  then  begin  :  'Yet  I  will  heal  him.'  The  rest  of 
the  verse  unfolds  the  idea  of  God's  healing  and  restorative  comfort 
to  those  who  are  faithful  and  penitent. 

19.  The  personal  pronoun  *  I '  in  the  original  might  easily  have 
been  dropped  out  of  the  text,  as  Marti  has  shown.  I  create  the 
fruit  of  the  lips — the  fruit  of  the  lips  in  this  case  being  joyful 
gratitude  in  place  of  the  silent  sorrow  of  the  mourners  (cf.  Jer. 
xxxiii.  II  ;  Prov.  xi.  31,  xii.  14— we  have  also  parallel  conceptions 
in  the  following  chapters  of  the  Trito-Isaiah,  Ix.  206,  Ixi.  3).  In 
the  following  clause  the  word  '  peace  '  is  to  be  construed  as  the 
object  governed  by  '  create  '  in  the  clause  that  precedes.  '  Near ' 
and  '  far  off'  designate  the  Jews  of  Palestine  and  those  of  the 
diaspora  respectively.  Probably  Duhm  is  right  in  regarding  the 
last  clause  of  this  verse  as  added  by  scribal  error  (cf.  previous  verse). 

20-21.  A  far  different  destiny  than  God's  peace  awaits  the  un- 
repentant wicked.  Their  state  is  compared  to  a  'storm-driven 
sea, '  in  never-ceasing  motion,  and  impure  in  its  products.  The 
well-being  ( '  peace  ' )  of  God's  true  and  faithful  servant  can  never 
be  the  lot  of  the  unrighteous. 

Chapter  LVIII. 

A  denunciation  of  social  wrong- doing.  Righteous  conduct  more 
necessary  than  fasting  and  ceremonial. 

This  chapter  shows  the  evident  influence  of  the  eighth-century 
teaching  (cf.  especially  Amos  v  and  Isa.  i)  as  to  the  vital  demands 
of  God.  The  form  of  the  opening  verse  shows  that  the  writer 
was  deeply  impressed  by  Ezek.  xxxiii.  1-9,  that  it  was  the  duty 
of  the  prophet  like  a  faithful  watchman  to  w.-irn  his  people  of 
danger,  i.  e.  in  this  case  to  announce  clearly  to  the  nation  its 
besetting  sins  (cf.  Mic.  iii.  8). 

1.  The  prophet  is  commanded  to  'call  out  with  the  throat,'  i.  e. 
with  loud  clear  voice  so  that  the  utterance  sounds  abroad  with 


262  ISAIAH  58.  2,  3 

2  the  house  of  Jacob  their  sins.  Yet  they  seek  me  daily, 
and  dehght  to  know  my  ways :  as  a  nation  that  did 
righteousness,  and  forsook  not  the  ordinance  of  their 
God,  they  ask  of  me  righteous  ordinances,  they  dehght 

3  to  draw  near  unto  God.  Wherefore  have  we  fasted,  say 
they,  and  thou  seest  not  ?  wherefore  have  we  afflicted  our 

trumpet-tones.     With  the  metaphor  of  the  trumpet  that  sounds 
the  war-alarm  cf.  Ezek.  xxxiii.  3,  5,  6. 

2.  R.  V.  rightly  interprets  the  opening  copula  of  the  original 
as  adversative  'yet.'  The  opposition  which  is  thereby  implied  is 
that  though  the  nation  is  sinful  yet  it  is  not  irreligious  so  far  as 
external  forms  are  concerned.  The  Jewish  community,  though 
morally  debased,  takes  an  interest  in  ceremonial.  The  pronoun 
'  me  '  is  emphatic  : 

'Yet  'tis  me  day  by  day  they  are  seeking — and  in  knowing  my 
ways  they  take  pleasure.' 

way  here,  like  the  Arabic  tank^  has  a  ritual  significance,  cf. 
Amos  viii.  14.  The  Hebrev^  verb  for  *  know '  bears  here,  as 
frequently,  the  meaning  '  take  interest  in '  or  '  concern  oneself 
about'  some  object,  Gen.  xxxix.  6',  Prov.  xxvii.  23,  Job  ix.  21  ; 
and  in  reference  to  God's  providential  care  for  man,  Ps.  i.  6,  xxxi. 
7  (8  Heb.),  xxxvii.  18,  cxliv.  3  ;  Jer.  i.  7  ;  Neh.  i.  7  ;  Amos  iii.   2. 

The  past  tenses  did  and  forsook  should  be  replaced  by  presents 
'  does '  and  '  forsakes.'  They  correspond  to  what  might  be  regarded 
as  gnomic  perfects  in  the  Hebrew  (Gesen.-Kautzsch,  Hebreiv 
Grammar'^'^,  §  106.  2  c).  Davidson,  Hebrew  Syntax,  §40  (c),  calls 
this  '  perfect  of  experience.'  Respecting  the  use  of  the  terms 
'righteousness'  and  'ordinance'  (R.  V.  marg.  'judgment')  in 
reference  to  ritual  see  note  on  chap.  Ivi.  i. 

3  introduces  the  complaining  query  of  the  people  :  '  We  fast,  but 
for  what  purpose  ?  God  seems  not  to  pay  any  heed  to  our  rehgious 
observance.'  '  Thou  seest  it  not' — this  was  evidently  the  inference 
which  the  Jewish  community  drew  from  the  depressing  conditions 
under  which  they  laboured.  What  these  conditions  were  the 
reader  may  discover  for  himself  from  Prof.  Driver's  Introduction 

^  Potiphar  *  knew  '  not  anything  in  his  household,  i.  e.  took  no 
active  interest  or  concern  in  anything,  since  he  left  the  supervision  in 
the  hands  of  Joseph.  Similarly  we  must  interpret  Paul's  use  of 
'know'  in  2  Cor.  v.  21.  Christ  had  obviously  an  intellectual 
apprehension  of  sin.  St.  Paul  meant  that  sin  stood  outside  Christ's 
moral  sympathies. 


ISAIAH  58.3  26^ 

soul,  and  thou  takest  no  knowledge  ?  Behold,  in  the  day 
of  your  fast  ye  find  your  oivn  pleasure,  and  exact  all  your 


to  Malachi  {Century  Bible,  Minor  Prophets,  ii,  p.  293).  They 
included  bad  harvests  (Mai.  iii.  11)  as  well  as  the  general  poverty 
indicated  in  Neh.  v.  It  seems  to  have  been  expected  that  as  the 
result  of  this  fasting  some  alleviation  or  deliverance  from  troubles 
would  be  granted.  It  is  not  improbable  that  there  is  implied  in 
this  complaint  a  reference  to  tlie  oracle  delivered  more  than 
seventy  years  previously  by  Zechariah  (viii.  19-23),  that  the 
sorrowful  fasting  would  be  changed  into  days  of  joy.  And  yet, 
after  so  many  years,  the  fasting  still  continued  and  there  was  no 
deliverance  from  evil. 

The  institution  of  fasts  of  sorrowful  remembrance  in  comme- 
moration of  the  various  tragic  events  in  the  reign  of  Zedekiah, 
when  Jerusalem  was  besieged  and  captured,  dated  from  the  early 
days  of  the  exile,  as  we  gather  from  Zech.  vii.  3-5,  viii.  19. 
Zechariah  refers  to  four  distinct  fasts  of  this  kind  in  the  last- 
mentioned  passage  (on  which  see  Driver's  note).  From  this  time 
forth  fasting  as  well  as  prayer  at  grave  crises  becomes  a 
distinguishing  note  of  Hebrew  worship  i^Ezra  viii.  21  f.,  ix.  5  foil., 
X.  6  ;  Neh.  i.  4  ;  Joel  i.  14).  This  stress  which  was  laid  upon 
fasting  and  prayer  probably  arose  among  the  Babylonian  exiles 
and  diaspora.  We  find  it  also  among  the  Aramaic-speaking  Jews 
near  Syene  (Assouan).  The  recently-discovered  Aramaic  papyri 
(published  by  Sachau,  1907)  describe  the  destruction  by  the 
Egyptian  priests  of  the  God  Hnub  of  the  temple  to  Yahu  (Yahweh) 
erected  by  the  Jewish  community  at  Yeb.  Whereupon,  as  the 
document  says,  line  15,  'we  with  our  wives  and  children  wore 
mourning  apparel,  fasted,  and  prayed  to  Yahu  the  Lord  of  Heaven.* 
This  document  with  the  events  it  describes  was  probably  nearly 
coeval  with  the  prophecies  of  Joel  just  half  a  century  after  the  date 
when  the  present  chapters  in  the  Trito-Isaiah  were  written  ^ 

The  answer  of  Yahweh  to  the  complaining  appeal  of  the  people 

^  The  papyrus  fixed  its  own  date  as  the  seventeenth  year  of 
Darius  Nothus  (Ochus),  i.  e.  408-407  B.  c,  while  the  destruction  of  the 
temple  at  Yeb  took  place  in  the  fourteenth  year,  i.e.  411-410  B.  c. 
Now  the  prophet  Joel  iii.  19  (iv.  19  Heb.)  prophesies  desolation 
against  Egypt  for  the  outrages  committed  against  the  Jews.  These 
outrages  are  evidently  connected  with  the  very  events  detailed  in  the 
papyrus,  and  thus  this  recently-discovered  document  serves  to  confirm 
the  conclusion  to  which  internal  evidence  leads  Cornill  {Einleitung^, 
p.  203),  Nowack,  and  others  that  Joel  was  composed  at  some  date 
subsequent  to  Nehemiah. 


264  ISAIAH  58.  4,  5 

4  labours.     Behold,  ye  fast  for  strife  and  contention,  and 
to  smite  with  the  fist  of  wickedness  :  ye  fast  not  this  day 

5  so  as  to  make  your  voice  to  be  heard  on  high.     Is  such 
the  fast  that  I  have  chosen  ?  the  day  for  a  man  to  afflict 

is  that  the  fasting  is  alter  all  mere  hollow  form  resting  on  no 
basis  of  moral  life  : 

'  On  your  fast-day  you  are  finding  occupation — and  all  your 
workmen  you  are  pressing  on  ^' 

yovir  own  pleasure  is  an  inadequate  rendering.  The  Hebrew 
word  for  '  pleasure  '  used  in  the  original  came  in  later  Hebrew  to 
mean  'engagement,'  'occupation,'  'business,'  somewhat  as  the 
Latin  studimn,  originally  '  desire/  comes  to  mean  'pursuit.'  The 
passage  implies  that  the  fasting  had  become  a  mere  formality.  The 
thoughts  and  energies  of  the  worshippers  were  engaged  in  their 
daily  pursuits  of  gain  instead  of  devotion  and  prayer. 

4.  All  your  fastings  involve  no  moral  renewal,  but  are  accom- 
panied by  quarrelling.  Probably  we  should  connect  the  fist  of 
wickedness  with  the  forcible  compulsion  to  labour  by  which  the 
wealthier  members  of  the  Jewish  community  sought  to  coerce  the 
poorer  to  toil  on  the  holy  fast-day.  The  picture  presented  in  this 
as  well  as  the  previous  verse  seems  to  anticipate  in  some  degree 
the  scenes  in  the  temple  depicted  in  Mark  xi.  15  foil. 

The  words  on  high  (properly  'in  the  height')  contain  in  the 
original  the  same  term  as  in  Ivii.  15,  '  high  (place)'  or  height,  viz. 
God's  celestial  abode  ^. 

5.  '  Shall  such  be  the  fast  that  I  choose— a  day  on  which  man 

afflicts  himself? 
Is  it  to  bow  one's  head  like  a  rush — while  one  spreads  out 

sackcloth  and  ashes  as  a  bed  ? 
Is   it   that  you  would   call    a  fast— a   day  well-pleasing   to 

Yahweh  ? ' 

'  Hardly  strong  enough  rendering  of  the  Heb.  verb  {ndgas)  which 
is  employed  of  driving  slaves  to  their  task-work.  The  participle  is 
used  of  the  taskmaster  (with  the  lash),  Exod.  iii.  7,  v.  10,  13  foil.  In 
Job  xxxix.  7  it  is  used  of  an  animal  driver  (cf.  following  verse). 

"^  The  LXX  evidently  had  a  different  text  before  them,  for  they 
render  :  'and  smite  with  fists  the  humble  ;  wherefore  do  ye  fast  unto 
me  as  to-day,  that  in  distress  your  voice  may  be  heard  ? '  We  may 
conjecture  that  they  had  the  text  before  them  rrob  unn  Pj^JNin  on^prn 
DDbip  nir^Sl  l^'n^nb  'b  uv^  in^irn,  which  is  both  intelligible  and  rhythmic. 
Yahweh  answers  the  people's  impatient  query  in  verse  3  by  another 
in  somewhat  similar  form,  which  is  continued  in  verse  5  quite 
harmoniously. 


ISAIAH  58.  6,  7  265 

his  soul  ?  Is  it  to  bow  down  his  head  as  a  rush,  and  to 
spread  sackcloth  and  ashes  under  him?  wilt  thou  call 
this  a  fast,  and  an  acceptable  day  to  the  Lord  ?  Is  not  ^ 
this  the  fast  that  I  have  chosen  ?  to  loose  the  bonds  of 
wickedness,  to  undo  the  bands  of  the  yoke,  and  to  let 
the  oppressed  go  free,  and  that  ye  break  every  yoke  ?   Is  7 

The  verb  in  the  original,  which  is  rendered  '  spread  out  as  a 
bed,'  is  the  same  as  that  which  is  employed  in  Ps.  cxxxix.  8, 
'  though  I  make  my  bed  in  Hades.'  The  general  meaning  of  the 
interrogatives  (which  are  rhetorical  in  character  and  anticipate  a 
negative  answer)  is  that  these  mere  externalities^  of  worship 
accompanied  by  the  exhibition  of  selfish  rapacity  are  not  well- 
pleasing  to  Yahweh  nor  a  fast  of  which  He  approves.  This  is  a 
remarkable  forecast  of  one  of  the  essential  elements  of  Christ's 
teaching  and  closely  approximates  His  denunciations  of  dissembling 
('  hypocrisy '). 

6.  After  the  negative  statements  involved  in  the  preceding 
interrogations,  which  show  what  the  fast  of  which  Yahweh 
approves  is  not,  there  follows  a.  positive  declaration  of  what  that 
fast  actually  should  be.  The  latter  is  expressed  here  in  the 
negative  interrogative  form :  '  Is  not  this  the  iast  that  I  choose  .  . .  ? ' 
In  the  Hebrew  text  we  have  an  incomplete  line.  Fortunately  the 
text  employed  by  the  LXX  helps  us  to  complete  it:  'saith 
Yahweh  of  Hosts.' 

'  Is   not   this   the    fast    that    I    choose — [saith    Yahweh    of 

Hosts], 
To   unlo6se    the   wicked  b6nds--to  set   free   the  bands  of 
the  yoke.' 

In  the  second  portion  of  the  last  long  line  of  this  verse  it  would 
be  best  to  follow  (with  Duhm)  the  LXX  in  reading  the  second 
pers.  sing,  instead  of  plur.  '  th&tt/iou  break.'  This  brings  the  verse 
into  harmony  with  the  following,  which  has  the  second  pers.  sing. 

The  word  rendered  oppressed  properly  means  '  broken.'     We 

^  The  forms  of  lament  here  portrayed  are  funereal  in  character. 
The  sackcloth  and  ashes  were  the  ordinary  features  of  funeral 
obsequies;  see  Primer  of  Hebrew  Antiquities  (R.  T.  S.),  p.  146. 
It  is  probable  that  the  small  collection  of  '  Lamentations  of  Jeremiah  ' 
arose  in  connexion  with  these  '  fasts  of  sorrowful  remembrance '  (see 
note  on  verse  3  above),  and  were  recited  on  these  occasions.  The 
characteristics  of  languag-e  and  contents  (see  Cornill's  Einleititng\ 
pp.  258  foil.,  in  the  German  edition  now  translated)  harmonize 
with  this  hypothesis. 


266  ISAIAH  58.  8 

it  not  to  deal  thy  bread  to  the  hungry,  and  that  thou 
bring  the  poor  that  are  cast  out  to  thy  house?  when 
thou  seest  the  naked,  that  thou  cover  him ;  and  that  thou 
hide  not  thyself  from  thine  own  flesh?  Then  shall  thy 
light  break  forth  as  the  morning,  and  thy  healing  shall 

note  how  the  spirit  of  Christ's  Gospel  breathes  through  this  and 
the  following  verse,  Matt.  v.  7,  Luke  xiv.  13,  &c. 

7.  The  same  conception  furtlaer  developed.  God's  acceptable  fast 
involves  the  accompaniment  of  a  high  ethical  life  such  as  shares 
its  advantages  with  others,  e.  g.  that  of  '  dealing  (properly  '  break- 
ing') one's  bread  to  the  hungry.'  The  Hebrew  verbal  form 
translated  that  are  cast  out  has  been  a  source  of  difficulty.  The 
LXX  renders  it  by  '  roofless,'  i.  e.  unsheltered,  homeless.  Hitzig 
translates  it  by  '  banished  as  rebels, '  on  the  assumption  that  it  is 
derived  from  a  verb  which  means  'to  rebel'  {mdyacT),  but  this 
interpretation  is  hardly  possible.  It  is  more  probable  that  we 
should  punctuate  the  verb  differently  and  regard  it  (with  Buhl) 
as  an  active  (Hifil)  participle  (cf.  Gen.  xxvii.  40)  of  a  Hebrew  verb 
(rud)  which  means  'to  roam  about  in  distress^.'  The  line  may 
accordingly  be  rendered  : 

'  Is  it  not  breaking  thy  bread  to  the  hungry — and  that  thou 
bringest  the  wandering  unfortunates  home. ' 

flesh  here  means  '  kindred, '  as  in  many  O.  T.  passages  (Gen. 
xxix.  17,  xxxvii.  27  ;  Judg.  ix.  2  ;  2  Sam.  v,  i,  &c.). 

8.  If  your  fasting  is  accompanied  by  a  life  characterized  by 
such  acts  of  love  and  sympathy,  the  bright  future  foretold  by  the 
prophets  (Isa.  xi,  Iv ;  cf.  chaps.  Ix,  Ixi)  will  dawn.  The  phrases 
go  hefore  thee,  be  thy  rearward  (close  up  thy  procession  in 
the  rear)  are  obvious  echoes  of  the  earlier  inspiring  oracles  of  the 
Deutero-Isaiah.  They  evidently  fit  the  connexion  of  the  original 
passage  lii.  12  (where  the  situation  presupposed  is  that  of  a  pilgrim- 
caravan  issuing  forth  from  Babylon  for  the  old  home-land)  rather 
than  that  of  the  present  one  composed  in  Palestine  amid  depres- 
sing conditions  about  eighty  years  afterwards.  Not  improbably  such 

*  Duhm  is  disposed  to  regard  the  Hebrew  form  in  our  text  as  an 
abstract  plural  meaning  '  homelessness,'  i.  e.  the  position  of  a  roving 
wanderer.  The  other  Hebrew  word  which  we  have  rendered  *  un- 
fortunates'  (R.  V.  'the  poor")  he  would  remove  as  a  later  gloss. 
No  warrant  for  this  is  to  be  found  in  the  LXX,  who  translate  the 
suspected  word  by  *  poor.'  Nor  can  Duhm  safely  cite  Lam.  iii.  19 
and  i.  7  (where  the  plural  is  by  no  means  certain)  as  a  valid  basis 
for  his  abstract  plural  form  meaning  '  homelessness.' 


ISAIAH  58.  9,  lo  267 

spring  forth  speedily :  and  thy  righteousness  shall  go 
before  thee;  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  thy  rear- 
ward. Then  shalt  thou  call,  and  the  Lord  shall  answer ;  y 
thou  shalt  cry,  and  he  shall  say,  Here  I  am.  If  thou 
take  away  from  the  midst  of  thee  the  yoke,  the  putting 
forth  of  the  finger,  and  speaking  wickedly;  and  if  thou  10 
draw  out  thy  soul  to  the  hungry,  and  satisfy  the  afflicted 
soul;  then  shall  thy  light  rise  in  darkness,   and  thine 

phrases  as  well  as   many  others  from  the  Deutero-Isaiah  passed 
current  among  the  Jews  of  a  later  time  and  became  proverbial. 

The  word  here  rendered  healing"  {aritchah)  has  a  VQvy  special 
meaning,  and  denotes  the  new  layer  of  flesh  which  forms  over  a 
wound,  in  Arabic  aricat  (properly  something  which  extends  over). 
It  is  a  term  not  found  in  the  Old  Testament  earlier  than  Jeremiah 
(viii.  22,  XXX.  17,  xxxiii.  6).  See  Delitzsch's  commentary  on 
this  passage  and  Driver's  explanatory  note  on  Jer.  viii.  22  at 
the  end  of  his  Book  of  the  Prophet  Jeremiah,  p.  352  ;  also  Rosen- 
miiller's  Scholia  ad  loc.  [y\z.  Isa.  Iviii.  8). 

9.  The  opening  line  should  express  protasis  and  apodosis  thus  : 
'  Then,  when  thou  callest,  Yahweh  will  answer — when  thou 

criest,  He  will  say,  ''  Here  am  I."  • 
For  the  stretching  out  of  the  finger  as  an  expression  of  contempt 
cf.  Prov.  vi.  13.  Gesenius  has  pointed  out  that  in  Arabic  there 
is  a  denominative  verb  sabaa,  derived  from  this  same  word 
that  stands  in  the  original  for  'finger,'  meaning  to  point  the  finger 
in  reproach  against  some  one  (see  Freytag's  Lexicon).  Latin 
hterature  gives  us  parallels,  Pers.  ii.  33,  Juven.  x.  53,  Martial  ii. 
28.  2,  &c.  Probably  we  are  to  understand  that  this  expression 
of  scorn  was  directed  by  the  rich  and  arrogant  against  the  poor 
and  lowly  (cf.  verse  4). 

10.  The  reading  thy  soul  is  by  no  means  certain.  Some  Hebrew 
MSS.  read  '  thy  bread.'  The  translation  in  the  LXX  combines  both 
readings  in  the  curious  manner  of  a  '  conflate  reading '  of  both 
Hebrew  texts  :  •  and  givest  the  bread  from  thy  soul  to  the  hungry.' 
It  seems  fairly  clear  that  the  word  '  soul '  in  the  following  clause 
has  been  imported  by  the  error  of  a  scribe  into  this.  The  true 
reading  in  all  probability  was  '  thy  bread.'  To  render  Vv^ith  A.  V.  and 
R.  V.  draw  out  thy  soul  or  with  R.  V.  marg.  '  bestow  .  .  .  that 
which  thy  soul  desireth'  are  violent  expedients.  Accordingly 
render : 

'And    (if)    thou    hand    out   thy   bread    to   the    hungry — and 
satisfy  the  afflicted  soul, 


268  ISAIAH  58.  u,  13 

11  obscurity  be  as  the  noonday :  and  the  Lord  shall  guide 
thee  continually,  and  satisfy  thy  soul  in  dry  places,  and 
make  strong  thy  bones ;  and  thou  shalt  be  like  a  watered 
garden,  and  like  a  spring  of  water,  whose  waters  fail  not. 

12  And  they  that  shall  be  of  thee  shall  build  the  old  waste 
places :  thou  shalt  raise  up  the  foundations  of  many 
generations;  and  thou  shalt  be  called  The  repairer  of 


Then  thy  light  shall  break  forth  in   the  darkness — and   thy 
gloom  as  the  midday.' 

11.  The  happy  results  that  ensue  are  described  still  further. 
It  is  impossible  to  be  quite  certain  that  we  have  the  original  text 
before  us.  The  plur.  form  rendered  dry  places  (A.  V. '  drought  "1 
is  only  found  in  this  passage,  though  a  kindred  word  is  translated  in 
Ps.  Ixviii.  6  [7  Heb.]  by  R.  V.  'parched  land.'  But  the  LXX  depart 
so  far  in  their  rendering  that  it  is  difficult  to  reconstruct  a  text  which 
shall  take  account  of  both  our  Massoretic  text  and  the  rendering 
of  the  Greek  translators.  Commentators  are  content  to  follow  the 
former.  The  Hebrew  text  rendered  above  make  strong"  tl^y 
bones  is  extremely  doubtful.  The  LXX  render  'thy  bones 
shall  be  made  fat.'  Seeker  has  made  the  ingenious  suggestion, 
which  Duhm,  Marti,  and  Cheyne  have  adopted,  to  reconstruct  the 
text  on  the  basis  of  xl.  29,  31  and  render,  'Thy  strength  will  He 
renew.'  The  changes  involved  are  comparatively  slight,  and 
when  we  consider  the  frequent  reminiscences  of  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  in  this  series  of  chapters,  they  cannot  be  deemed  impro- 
bable. The  verse  closes  with  the  picturesque  comparison  of  a 
garden  intersected  with  water-channels  that  never  run  dry 
('deceive,'  R.V.  'fail').  Here,  as  in  xli.  18,  spring-  of  water 
should  be  '  water-channel '  (Cheyne  '  conduit ').  See  the  writer's 
note  with  Assyrian  parallels  in  Schrader,  COT'.,  vol.  ii,  pp.  311-13. 

12.  'And  one  [lit.  the}']  shall  build  of  thee  the  ruins  of  old 
time.'  This  would  mean  that  from  the  sons  of  the  Jewish 
community,  here  collectively  addressed  in  the  singular,  the 
shattered  remnants  of  the  past  shall  be  reconstituted.  But  the 
expression  is  certainly  strange.  The  LXX  rendered  the  verbal 
form  as  a  passive,  '  age-long  desolations  shall  be  built '  ;  and 
Ewald  favours  this  interpretation.  It  would  probably  be  safer 
to  emend  and  read  with  Duhm,  '  and  thy  people  shall  build  the 
ancient  ruins,'  or  to  follow  Weir  and  Cheyne  in  reading  'and  thy 
sons  shall  build  .  .  .'  The  language  in  this  verse  is  again  remark- 
ably reminiscent  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  (cf.  especially  xliv.  26). 

repairer,  literally  '  vvaller-up,'  the  original  being  a  participial 


ISAIAH  58.  13  269 

the  breach,  The  restorer  of  paths  to  dwell  in.     [If  thou  r 
turn  away  thy  foot  from  the  sabbath,    from   doing  thy 
pleasure  on  my  holy  day ;  and  call  the  sabbath  a  delight, 

form  of  the  Hebrew  denominative  verb  from  the  subst.  'wall.' 
Tiie  metaphor  was  suggested  to  tlie  mind  of  the  poet  by  the 
dismantled  state  of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem — the  ruined  condition 
in  which  thej'  were  left  by  the  Babylonian  armies  in  586  b.  c. 
about  130  years  previously.  It  was  this  ruined  condition  of  the 
city  which  so  deeply  oppressed  the  mind  of  Nehemiah  (Neh.  i. 
3,  ii.  2,  3)- 

Verses  13-14  are  a  later  addendum.  The  metrical  form  (a  long 
line  of  two  equal  parts  with  three  accentual  beats  in  each  part)  is 
here  the  same  as  in  the  previous  twelve  verses,  but  the  rhythm  is 
not  so  well  preserved  and  the  spirit  is  wholl}'  different.  In  the 
former  the  stress  is  laid  on  merciful  conduct  ;  in  these  two  verses 
it  is  placed  on  Sabbath  maintenance.  Marti  thinks  it  even 
exceeds  that  of  Neh.  ix.  14  ;  Exod.  xvi.  23,  It  is  true  that 
Sabbath  maintenance  had  begun  to  acquire  a  special  importance 
during  the  exile  period  since  the  time  of  Ezekiel  (xx.  12,  20, 
xxii.  8,  xxiii.  38).  Yet  it  is  to  be  noted  that  no  mention  of  it  is 
made  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah  nor  in  the  early  post-exilian  times  of 
Haggai  and  Zechariah  (i-viii),  neither  of  whom  refer  to  the 
Sabbath,  nor  even  later  the  prophet  Malachi.  Though  Isa.  Ivi,  2 
shows  that,  as  we  approach  the  days  of  Nehemiah,  its  due  observ- 
ance began  to  assume  greater  importance,  it  was  not  till  the 
time  of  that  reformer  that  tlie  hallowing  of  the  seventh  day 
became  the  fixed  and  cardinal  feature  of  Jewish  ceremonial 
observance.  Henceforth  is  sharply  distinguished  the  strict  and 
minute  observance  of  the  Sabbath  in  post-exilian  Judaism  from 
the  more  genial  practice  of  pre-exilian  Hebrew  religion  which 
made  it  festal,  recreative,  and  a  relief  from  toil  ^. 

13.  Here  the  conception  of  a  holy  space  is  applied  to  time. 
The  Sabbath  is  regarded  as  a  sanctuar}--  which  the  human  foot, 
pursuing  its  ordinary  avocations,  must  not  profane.  The  foot  is 
to  turn  back  so  as  not  to  desecrate  it.     For  the  R.  V.  from  doingf 

^  It  should  be  observed  that  it  is  not  possible  to  accept  Jar.  xvii. 
19-27  as  genuine.  That  it  is  a  later  insertion  has  been  recognized 
by  critics  since  Kuenen.  See  Cornill's  discussion  of  the  passage. 
Probably  it  was  composed  in  the  days  of  Nehemiah.  As  to  pre- 
exilian  practice  note  Amos  viii.  4,  5,  where  we  observe  that  it  was 
a  rest  day  from  trade  and  other  forms  of  work.  Hos.  ii.  1 1  (13  Heb.) 
indicates  its  genial  festive  character  (in  both  passages  in  connexion 
with  the  New  Moon).     Also  note  2  Kings  iv.  23. 


270  ISAIAH  58.  14 

and  the  holy  of  the  Lord  honourable  ;  and  shalt  honour 
it,  not  doing  thine  own  ways,  nor  finding  thine  own 
14  pleasure,  nor  speaking  thine  onni  words  :  then  shalt  thou 
delight  thyself  in  the  Lord;  and  I  will  make  thee  to 
ride  upon  the  high  places  of  the  earth ;  and  I  will  feed 


thy  pleasure  substitute  the  rendering  *  so  as  not  *  to  do  thy 
business.'  The  Hebrew  word  hepJies,  properly  'pleasure,'  here 
has  the  meaning  (in  later  Hebrew)  '  occupation,'  '  business '  ; 
of.  above  verse  3  and  note. 

The  text  that  follows  is  far  from  clear,  and  this  is  almost 
certainly  due  to  its  want  of  soundness,  as  a  comparison  with  the 
LXX  reveals.  LXX  render  'and  shalt  call  the  Sabbath  a 
delight,  holy  unto  thy  God,  shalt  not  set  (literally  '  lift ')  thy  foot 
to  work  nor  speak  a  word  in  anger  from  thy  mouth  ^.  This  is 
quite  intelligible,  and  the  idiom  '  lift  (or  set)  thy  foot  to,'  &c. 
is  found  in  Gen.  xxix.  i. 

Taking  our  traditional  Hebrew  text  as  a  basis,  the  strange 
expression  holy  of  the  IiORD  can  hardly  be  explained  otherwise 
than  as  an  epithet  of  the  Sabbath.  If  we  follow  the  guidance  of 
the  LXX  we  should  have  to  amend  it  into  '  holy  unto  thy  God,' 
and  regard  the  following  word  '  honourable '  in  the  Hebrew  text 
(which  the  LXX  omit)  as  simply  due  to  dittography.  Duhm 
suggests  an  ingenious  alternative  by  comparatively  slight  emenda- 
tions of  our  Hebrew  text  which  make  the  parallelism  complete  : 
'And  callest  the  Sabbath  a  delight — and  the  new  moon  of 

Yahweh  an  object  of  desire.' 
doing*  thine  own  ways  means  '  carrying  on  thy  daily 
pursuits.'  It  must  be  confessed  that  the  concluding  phrase 
'speaking  [thine  own]  words'  is  somewhat  obscure.  It  might 
be  either  taken  to  mean,  as  Duhm  interprets  it,  '  gossip,' '  talk  idle 
words,'  'deceive'  (as  in  Hos.  x.  4),  or,  more  probably  and  in 
consonance  with  the  preceding  clause  ('finding  thy  business'), 
we  should  interpret  the  expression  as  meaning  '  make  proposals ' 
or  '  state  thy  bargain ' ;  cf.  Gen.  xxiv.  33. 

14.  Earthly  power  and  affluence  are  to  be  the  reward  of  scru- 


^  Probably  the  Hebrew  preposition  meaning  *  from '  (min)  has 
dropped  out  before  the  infinitive  form  (  = '  to  do  ').     So  LXX. 

^  Evidently  founded  on  a  very  different  text  in  the  original.  We 
might  reconstruct  it  on  the  basis  of  closest  approximation  to  the 
Massoretic  in  the  last  two  clauses  :   F]^p.a  ?|'EO  ti^}  Tj^hp  ntt:5?o^  iwr\  n"?] 


ISAIAH  59.  1,2  271 

thee  with  the  heritage  of  Jacob  thy  father  :  for  the  mouth 
of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it.] 

Behold,   the  Lord's  hand  is  not   shortened,  that  it  59 
cannot  save ;  neither  his  ear  heavy,  that  it  cannot  hear : 
but  your  iniquities  have  separated  between  you  and  your  2 
God,  and  your  sins  have  hid  his  face  from  you,  that  he 

pulous  maintenance  of  the  Sabbath.  The  spiritual  level  of  verses 
1-12  is  not  reached  in  this  concluding  verse.  In  fact  we  descend 
to  a  lower  plain.  The  rewards  set  forth  in  verses  11  and  12  are 
very  different.  Here  again  (verse  14)  comparison  with  the  LXX 
suggests  a  different  Hebrew  original  in  the  earlier  part  of  the 
verse.     Notice  the  echo  of  Deut.  xxxii.  13,  xxxiii.  29. 

Chapter  LIX. 

There  are  several  points  of  contact  between  this  chapter  and 
Iviii.  1-12.  The  strain  of  rebuke  contained  in  the  latter  is  con- 
tinued here.  Moreover,  it  deals  with  the  same  mental  attitude 
of  discontent  with  Yahweh's  dealings  with  His  people  which  is 
presupposed  in  the  preceding  chapter.  *  God  is  indifferent  to 
your  depressed  condition/  you  say  ;  '  though  your  fasts  are  still 
maintained  and  you  are  diHgent  in  ceremonies  of  worship' 
(Iviii.  2,  3) ;  God  is  as  mighty  as  ever  and  as  accessible  to  prayer  ; 
but  it  is  your  own  unrighteous  life  that  stands  between  you  and 
the  fulfilment  of  your  prayers  and  the  dawn  of  better  times. 

1.  Probably  we  ought  to  regard  the  opening  clauses  as  ex- 
pressing a  comparative  according  to  the  well-known  Hebrew 
idiom  : 

'  Behold,  Yahweh's  hand  is  not  too  short  to  help— nor  His 
ear  too  duU-of-hearing  [lit.  heavy]  to  hear.' 

With  the  latter  clause  cf.  vi.  10. 

2.  The  real  cause  of  God's  lack  of  succour  is  not  Divine 
impotence,  but  your  own  moral  depravity  that  has  alienated  God 
from  you  and  has  been  a  barrier  to  the  blessings  He  would 
confer.     '  Your  sins  have  hid  His  face  1/  i.  e.  have  caused  Him 


^  In  the  original  not  'His  face'  but  simply  '  face/  as  though  it 
were  a  personal  designation  of  Yahweh,  just  as  in  Ixlii.  9,  where  it 
stands  in  parallelism  with  '  angel '  (or  messenger)  (see  note  on  the 
passage).  We  seem  here  to  have  a  movement— though  a  na^scent 
tendency  only— towards  the  hypostases  of  later  Judaism  {rn^mrd, 
shechfnah,  &c.).  For  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  conception  of 
the  '  face  of  God,'  viz.  of  Ba  al,  meets  us  in  the  Phoenician  proper 


272  ISAIAH  59.  r,-5 

3  will  not  hear.  For  your  hands  are  defiled  with  blood, 
and  your  fingers  with  iniquity;  your  lips  have  spoken 

4  lies,  your  tongue  muttereth  wickedness.  None  sueth  in 
righteousness,  and  none  pleadeth  in  truth  :  they  trust  in 
vanity,  and  speak  lies  ;  they  conceive  mischief,  and  bring 

5  forth  iniquity.    They  hatch  basilisks'  eggs,  and  weave  the 

to  withdraw  His  favour  from  you.  This  is  generally  expressed 
by  a  personal  subject.  In  other  words,  God  is  said  to  hide  His 
face  ;  cf.  viii.  17. 

3.  We  are  reminded  of  Isa.  i.  15.  For  wickedness  it  would 
be  more  accurate  to  read  '  dishonesty.' 

4.  The  oppression  of  the  poor  by  the  rich  in  courts  of  law  was 
an  old  vice  of  the  pre-exllian  days  (cf.  Introd.  to  vol.  i,  p.  43). 
As  the  R.V.  (marg.)  indicates,  the  ordinary  Hebrew  word  for 
'  call '  here  means  sue  at  law,  i.  e.  summon  to  trial  as  plaintiff 
(cf.  the  Latin  vocare  in  ius)  ;  cf.  Job  v.  i,  xiii.  22.  This  verse 
should  be  rendered  : 

'  There  is  no  one   who  sues  with  uprightness— none   who 
goes  to  law  with  honesty, 

Relying   on    falsity   and    uttering    deceit  -  conceiving    bale 
and  bringing  forth  evil.' 

Verses  5-8  are  a  highly-wrought  elaboration  in  varied  picturesque 
similes  of  the  same  theme,  viz.  the  social  conditions  of  treacher}'', 
oppression,  and  violence,  which  afflicted  the  Jewish  community 
at  this  time.  Duhm  and  Cheyne  regard  them  as  a  later  addition. 
Marti  holds  that  it  was  borrowed  from  some  moralizing  treatise. 

names.  '  Face  of  Baal '  is  the  equivalent  of  the  deity  Tanit  in  the 
Carthaginian  votive  inscriptions  (see  Schroder,  Phdnie.  Sprache, 
pp.  260  foil.,  and  the  remarks  on  p.  181).  It  is  also  found  in  the 
old  Canaanite  place-name  Penuel  (Peniel),  meaning  '  Face  of  God.' 

On  the  other  hand,  the  LXX  (cod.  Alex.)  evidently  had  a  somewhat 
different  text  in  their  original — '^  on  account  of  your  sins  He  has  with- 
drawn His  face  from  you  so  as  not  to  have  compassion  '  (Dp^nitsrrai 
nn'iD  DSp  v:5  Tnpri^  where  apparently  the  o  of  the  opening  word 
has  dropped  out  through  the  same  character  that  preceded  it,  viz. 
(in  the  LXX  copy)  of  cribs?).  Duhm  regards  'between  you  and 
your  God '  and  '  from  you  that  He  will  not  hear '  as  added  glosses 
that  disturb  both  metric  rhythm  and  parallelism  of  clauses.  The 
variant  readings  in  the  LXX  lend  some  colour  to  this  view,  and 
suggest  that  the  glosses  assumed  different  forms. 


ISAIAH  59.  6-9  §^3 

spider's  web :  he  that  eateth  of  their  eggs  dieth,  and  that 
which  is  crushed  breaketh  out  into  a  viper.     Their  webs  6 
shall   not   become   garments,    neither   shall   they  cover 
themselves  with  their  works :  their  works  are  works  of 
iniquity,  and  the  act  of  violence  is  in  their  hands.    Their  7 
feet  run  to  evil,  and  they  make  haste  to  shed  innocent 
blood  :  their  thoughts  are  thoughts  of  iniquity ;  desolation 
and  destruction  are  in  their  paths.     The  way  of  peace  8 
they  know  not ;   and  there   is    no  judgement  in   their 
goings  :   they  have  made  them  crooked  paths ;  whoso- 
ever goeth  therein  doth  not  know  peace.     Therefore  is  9 
judgement  far  from  us,  neither  doth  righteousness  over- 

5.  web  in  the  original  means  properly  '  gossamer- threads.' 
This  verse  merely  gives  forcible  illustrations  derived  from  the 
animal  world  of  the  last  clause  of  the  preceding  verse,  '  conceiving 
bale  and  bringing  forth  evil.'  The  illustrations  remind  us  of 
those  derived  from  animal  life  in  the  Book  of  Proverbs  (of. 
especially  xxx.  18-31)  or  of  Job  (chap,  xxxix). 

6.  The  products  of  their  activity  serve  no  useful  purpose,  but 
are  mischievous  in  their  result. 

*7.  The  same  idea  is  still  further  developed.  Unprincipled 
avarice  works  out  its  ends  in  violence  and  even  bloodshed.  This 
verse  is  quoted  with  various  other  O.  T.  citations  by  St.  Paul  in 
Rom.  iii.  13-18.  The  preceding  verses  are  a  free  citation  by  the 
Apostle  from  Ps.  xiv.  1-3.  In  the  Cod.  Alex,  and  margin  of 
Vatican  Codex  of  LXX  the  entire  Pauline  body  of  quotations  is 
incorporated  into  the  text  of  Ps.  xiv.  1-3. 

8.  For  there  is  no  judg-ement  in  their  g^oings  it  would  be 
more  accurate  to  translate  with  Cheyne,  'there  is  no  justice  in 
their  tracks.'  The  Hebrew  word  peace  properly  means  well- 
being,  security  of  life  ;  but  is  used  here  in  the  ethical  sense  of 
the  well-being  that  ensues  from  righteousness  and  a  well-ordered 
life  of  obedience  to  God.  The  word  know  has  here  the  connota- 
tion which  belongs  to  the  term  in  Iviii.  2,  on  which  see  the  note. 

The  gnomic  character  of  these  verses  5-8  is  evident  to  the 
reader.  Verse  9,  which  immediately  follows,  succeeds  verse  4 
quite  as  naturally  as  verse  8. 

9.  The  prophet  here  confesses  in  the  name  of  the  Jewish 
community  (thus  using  the  ist  pers.  plur.)  their  sense  of  evil. 
For  the  vague  word  jxxdgement  substitute  'justice  '  or  '  right,^  to 
which  '  righteousness'  stands  in  synonymous  parallelism  in  the 


274  ISAIAH  59.  lo,  ii 

take  us :  we  look  for  light,  but  behold  darkness ;  for 
10  brightness^  but  we  walk  in  obscurity.  We  grope  for  the 
wall  like  the  blind,  yea,  we  grope  as  they  that  have  no 
eyes  :  we  stumble  at  noonday  as  in  the  twilight ;  among 
Ti  them  that  are  lusty  we  are  as  dead  men.  We  roar  all 
like  bears,  and  mourn  sore  like  doves :  we  look  for 
judgement,  but  there  is  none ;  for  salvation,  but  it  is  far 

next  clause.  As  in  verse  4,  so  here  the  reference  is  to  the  gross 
injustice  perpetrated  in  Jewish  tribunals,  where  the  oppressed 
suitor  *  looks  for  the  light '  of  equity  and  redress  for  his  wrongs 
and  for  the  *  bright  ra3's  '  of  plain  and  truthful  dealings,  but  finds 
that  he  is  walking  in  the  gloomy  and  uncertain  paths  of  false 
dealing,  intrigue,  and  chicanery. 

10  develops  this  conception  of  the  gloomy  and  uncertain  ways 
to  which  the  preceding  verse  alludes.  The  metaphor  is  that  of 
a  blind  man  who  feels  his  way.  The  Hebrew  verb  rendered 
grope  is  only  used  in  this  passage,  but  its  existence  is  fairly 
certain  as  well  as  its  meaning  by  comparison  with  the  same 
corresponding  form  in  classical  Arabic.  According  to  our  text  we 
have  the  same  verb  in  the  following  parallel  clause  (so  also  LXX). 
This  is  not  usual  in  Hebrew  poetic  style.  Consequently,  the 
suggestion  of  a  slight  emendation  whereby  in  the  latter  clause 
another  verb,  used  in  Deut.  xxviii.  29,  is  employed,  has  much  to 
commend  it.  Cf  the  use  of  the  verb  (or  its  collateral)  in  the 
vivid  description  of  the  blind  Isaac  in  his  interview  with  his  wily 
son  Jacob,  Gen.  xxvii.  12,  21,  22.  Accordingly  with  Koppe, 
Oort,  Duhm,  and  Marti  render  : — 

'  We  grope  like  the  blind  by  the  wall— and  like  eyeless  men 
feel  our  way.' 

The  text  in  the  latter  part  of  the  next  line  is  very  doubtful.  The 
Hebrew  word  translated  above  them  that  are  lusty  (lit.  'stout' 
or  *  fat ')  has  exercised  the  speculative  ingenuity  of  many  learned 
commentators  whose  interpretations  it  would  be  a  waste  of  time 
to  record.  The  word  is  obviously  corrupt,  for  (i)  it  is  found 
nowhere  else,  (2)  there  is  not  a  trace  of  it  in  the  LXX.  Our 
only  safe  course  here  is  to  follow  Cheyne,  and  render  : — 

*  We   stumble   at    midday   as  in    the  twilight.    .  .  .  like  tlie 
dead.' 

11.  The  lamentations  of  the  oppressed  arc  compared  to  the 
moaning  of  bears  or  the  cooing  plaint  of  doves.  Substitute,  as 
before,   '  right '  or  '  justice '  for  ju^ffement  with  the  expression 


ISAIAH  59.  12-14  275 

off  from  us.     For  our  transgressions  are  multiplied  be-  12 
fore  thee,  and  our  sins  testify  against  us  :   for  our  trans- 
gressions are  with  us,  and  as  for  our  iniquities,  we  know 
them:    in   transgressing   and   denying   the    Lord,    and  13 
turning  away  from  following  our  God,  speaking  oppres- 
sion and  revolt,  conceiving  and  uttering  from  the  heart 
words   of  falsehood.     And  judgement  is   turned  away  14 
backward,  and  righteousness  standeth  afar  off:  for  truth 
is  fallen   in   the   street,   and  uprightness    cannot  enter. 

'  mourn  sore  (better  '  moan  ')  like  doves '  ;   cf.  Isa.  xxxviii.  14  ; 
Ezek.  vii.  16. 

12.  The  lament  of  the  people  voiced  by  the  prophet  (verses 
9  foil.)  now  takes  the  definite  form  of  a  confession  to  God  of  the 
people's  sin.  The  expression  our  transgressions  are  with 
tis  means  *  they  are  fully  present  to  our  minds,'  are  consciously 
realized  by  us,'  as  the  following  parallel  clause  renders  clear  : 
*  we  know  them '  (i.  e.  are  conscious  of  them). 

13.  The  forms  of  sin  against  God  are  more  specially  described 
as  '  rebelling  against  and  dealing  falsely  with  Yahweh,  with- 
drawing from  following  after  our  God,  giving  utterance  to  oppres- 
sion and  revolt.' 

For  uttering  it  would  be  more  accurate  to  render  'meditating.' 
The  two  words  in  the  original  ^  are  alliterative  :  *  conceiving  and 
concocting '  would  fairly  reproduce  the  assonance. 

14.  The  qualities  ^RighV  (R.V.  Judgement),  y^Ys/w  (Righteous- 
ness), Truth  and  Uprightness  are  here  personified.  The  word 
for  truth  might  also  be  rendered  '  faithfulness,'  '  honour.' 

*  Right  is  forced  back— and  Justice  stands  afar, 
For  truth  stumbles  in  the  market-place — and  uprightness  is 
unable  to  enter.' 
The  scene  of  this  tragedy  is  the  tribunal  of  an  oriental  town,  which 
was  usually  the  large  open  space  (here  called  '  market-place '  for 
lack  of  a  better  term)  called  in  Hebrew  rehob  which  was  close  to 
the  gates  (Neh.  viii.  i,  3,  16  ;  2  Chron.  xxxii.  6).    Here  the  people 
assembled'  (Job  xxix.  7),  public  orators  delivered  their  harangues, 
(Prov.  i.  20),  and  in  ordinary  times  children  disported  themselves 
(Zech.  viii.  4),  and  travellers  spent  the  night  (Gen.  xix.  2  ;  Judges 
xix.  15). 

^  The  punctuation  of  the  Massoretic  text  confuses  the  sense. 
The  LXX  version  as  well  as  verse  4  shows  that  the  forms  should  be 
punctuated  as  Kal  absol.  infin. 

T   2 


276  ISAIAH  59.  15,  16 

15  Yea,  truth  is  lacking;  and  he  that  departeth  from  evil 
maketh  himself  a  prey :   and  the  Lord  saw  it,  and  it 

16  displeased  him  that  there  was  no  judgement.  And  he 
saw  that  there  was  no  man,  and  wondered  that  there  was 
no  intercessor :   therefore  his  own  arm  brought  salvation 

15.  is  lacking,  properly  'is  left  behind.'  We  might  render 
*is  missing,'  '  is  not  to  be  found '  : — 

'  And  honour  is  not  to  be  found — and  one  who  avoids  evil 
exposes  himself  to  plunder.' 

Verses  16-20  are  closely  linked  to  the  preceding.  Yahweh  views 
with  grief  and  astonishment  the  forlorn  condition  of  the  oppressed  in 
the  Jewish  community  of  Jerusalem.  Accordingly  He  advances  in 
His  own  person  to  punish  His  foes  and  bring  deliverance  to  His 
faithful  followers  that  cry  for  Justice  \ 

16.  The  language  in  the  opening  of  the  verse  echoes  in  a 
remarkable  manner  that  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  (1.  2),  whose 
phrases  were  evidently  current  and  familiar  in  the  generations 
that  followed  him.  But  the  situation  of  the  Trito-Isaiah  was 
strongly  contrasted.  The  thoughts  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  were 
fixed  on  a  foreign  deliverer,  Cyrus,  who  is  to  be  God's 
servant  in  effecting  a  deliverance  from  Israel's  external  troubles. 
Here  the  evils  are  internal,  and  the  deliverer  who  is  to  remedy  the 
internal  disorders  of  the  Jewish  state  fails  to  arise.  Therefore 
Yahweh  Himself  advances  to  the  rescue.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  is  a  striking  parallel  between  this  as  well  as  the  following 
verses  and  Ixiii.  i-6,  where  Yahweh  again  appears  as  a  warrior 
and  there  is  none  to  aid  (Ixiii.  3)  : — 

'  And  when  He  saw  that  there  was  no  one — and  was  amazed 

that  there  was  none  to  interpose, 
Then  did  His  arm  help  Him — and  His  righteousness  sustained 
Him.' 
Here,  again,  we  have  the  conception  of  Divine  righteousness 
combined  with  the  idea  of  Divine  might  that  renders  it  victorious 
with  which  we  were  made  familiar  in  the  study  of  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  (see  Introduction,  §  4,  p.  37). 

^  The  present  writer  cannot  concur  with  Stade  {Gesch.  Isr.  ii, 
p.  81)  in  separating  15  b  ('and  when  Yahweh  saw  it,  He  was  displeased,' 
&c.)-20  from  the  preceding,  though  several  good  authorities  (Kosters, 
Cheyne,  Gressmann,  and  Enno  Littmann)  follow  him.  As  Marti 
clearly  shows,  the  arbitrary  process  recommended  severs  in  twain 
what  is  a  well-knit  whole  in  its  sequence  of  ideas,  though  unfortunately 
in  verses  18  foil,  seriously  defective  in  text. 


ISAIAH  59.  i7;t8  277 

unto  him  ;  and  his  righteousness,  it  upheld  him.     And  17 
he  put  on  righteousness  as  a  breastplate,  and  an  helmet 
of  salvation  upon  his  head ;  and  he  put  on  garments  of 
vengeance  for  clothing,  and  v\-as  clad  with  zeal  as  a  cloke. 
According  to  their  deeds,  accordingly  he  will  repay,  fury  18 
to  his  adversaries,  recompence  to  his  enemies ;  to  the 


17.  Following  out  this  conception  of  Yahweh  as  a  warrior-hero, 
familiar  to  ancient  Israel  (Exod.  xv.  r,  3,  6,  7,  &c.  ;  Deut.  xxxii. 
41  f.  ,  Judges  V.  4,  vii.  20),  and  not  infrequently  set  forth  in  the 
Deutero-Isaiah  (xlii.  13,  xlix.  24  foil.,  lii.  10  ,  God  is  represented 
as  girding  Himself  for  tlie  battle,  but  the  'weapons  are  not  carnal 
but  spiritual,'  and  directed  against  hostile  moral  influences. 
QuaUties  regarded  as  clothing  to  the  personalit3^  is  a  familiar  mode 
of  expression  among  O.  T.  writers  (cf.  Ixi.  3,  10),  and  the 
metaphor  of  this  verse  is  borrowed  by  St.  Paul  in  Eph.  vi.  14,  17  as 
well  as  in  i  Thess.  v.  8  (with  variation).  The  word  clothing' 
(Heb.  tilbosheth)  is  very  questionable,  (i)  It  is  only  found  in 
this  passage  ;  (2)  it  spoils  the  metre  of  the  verse  by  overweighting 
the  line  ;  (3)  it  was  obviously  absent  from  the  Hebrew  copies  of  the 
LXX,  and  is  omitted  also  in  the  Vulgate  ;  (4)  it  is  a  wholly  unneces- 
sary addendum.  Accordingly,  we  have  good  reason  for  following 
Lowth,  Duhm,  Cheyne,  and  Marti  in  rejecting  it  as  a  gloss. 
Therefore  render  : — 

'  And  He  clad  himself  with  righteousness  as  a  breastplate — 
and  a  helmet  of  victory^  (salvation)  was  on  His  head. 

And  he  clad  Himself  with  retribution's  apparel — and  wrapped 
himself  in  jealousy  as  a  tunic' 

18.  according-  .  .  .  according-ly,  both  in  the  rendering  and  in 
the  original,  is  very  awkward.  The  Hebrew  word  is  found  in 
Ixiii.  7,  but  its  repetition  is  very  suspicious,  and  the  same  remark 
applies  to  the  repetition  of  the  word  'recompense.'  A  glance  at 
the  LXX  reveals  that  our  text  has  been  confused,  and  unduly 
extended  perhaps  by  conflate  readings.  It  is  very  difficult  to 
reconstruct  the  text.  Cheyne's  might  be  accepted  as  the  best 
provisional  attempt.     He  translates  : — 

'  In  proportion  to  [their]  deserts  will  He  render  a  re- 
compense— wrath  to  His  adversaries,  disgrace  to  His 
enemies.' 

^  The  R.  V.  here  has  the  right  construction  (which  is  also  that  of 
LXX)  rather  than  R.  V.  marg. 


278  ISAIAH  59.  19,  20 

tg  islands  he  will  repay  recompence.  So  shall  they  fear 
the  name  of  the  Lord  from  the  west,  and  his  glory  from 
the  rising  of  the  sun :    for  he  shall  come  as  a  rushing 

20  stream,  which  the  breath  of  the  Lord  driveth.  And  a 
redeemer  shall  come  to  Zion,  and  unto  them  that  turn 

19  is  a  continuation  of  the  sentence  that  precedes,  recording 
the  effects  of  Yahweh's  action  ;  — 

'So   that   they   shall    fear   Yahweh's    name    from    the   West 
(evening) — and  from  the  sunrise  His  glory. 
For  it  shall  come  like  a  dashing  stream — which  the  blast  of 

Yahweh  impels  \' 
rushing',  or  'dashing,'  is  probably  correct  (so  LXX).  The 
alternative  rendering  given  in  R.  V.  marg.,  'a  stream  pent- 
?*«,'  is  due  to  the  derivation  of  the  adjectival  form  from  another 
verb.  Some  critics  prefer  by  a  slight  emendation  to  render  'they 
shall  see  Yahweh's  name 2'  instead  of  'they  shall  fear,  &c.,'  which 
stands  in  our  text  and  is  supported  by  the  LXX.  The  alteration  is 
quite  needless,  and  is  no  improvement  to  the  sense.  The  reading  of 
our  Hebrew  text  is  moreover  sustained  by  Ps.  cii.  15  (16  Hebrew), 
which  seems  to  be  an  echo  of  this  passage. 

20.  The  text  of  this  verse  has  come  down  to  us  in  two  distinct 
traditions.    The  LXX  render  :  — 

*  And  there  shall  come  owing  to  Zion  the  redeemer  and  shall 
turn  away  (back)  rebellion  from  Jacob  ^.' 
In  St.  Paul's  quotation  of  the  passage  (Rom.  xi.  26)  'from  Zion  ' 
appears  to  indicate  that  the  redeemer  would  come  from  Zion  it- 
self. The  LXX  seem  to  render  by  '  owing  to  '  or  '  on  account  of 
from  a  desire  to  reconcile  the  two  different  traditions  embodied 
in  two  different  texts.  Follow  the  LXX  in  deleting  '  saith  the 
Lord'  (Yahweh),  which  overweights  the  metre. 

^  Lit. '  drives  into  flight.'  A.  V.  rendering  (placed  in  R.  V.  marg.), 
*  When  the  enemy  shall  come  in  like  a  flood,  the  spirit  of  the  Lord 
shall  lift  up  a  standard  against  him,'  is  based  on  Targ.,  Pesh.,  and 
Jewish  commentaries.  It  disturbs  the  sequence  of  ideas,  and  recent 
commentators  do  not  support  it. 

^  Duhm  supports  this  view  by  Ixvi.  iS,  19,  Ix.  3,  but  none  of  these 
passages  contain  the  expression  '  see  the  name.'  To  *  see  the  glory  ' 
or  outward  manifestation  of  Yahweh's  person  is  a  quite  natural  and 
ordinary  expression.  On  the  other  hand,  *  fear '  may  be  quite 
naturally  linked  with  both  objects. 

^  In  Hebrew  yppJ2  X?;l?3  I'^D"'  ^^^  '^'I'VP  N^''.  St.  Paul's  quotation 
'from  Zion'  (Rom.  xi.  26)  clearly  shows  us  how  the  original  should 
be  restored  in  the  copy  used  by  the  LXX. 


ISAIAH  59.  21—60.  r  279 

from  transgression  in  Jacob,  saith  the  Lord.  [And  as  21 
for  me,  this  is  my  covenant  with  them,  saith  the  Lord  : 
my  spirit  that  is  upon  thee,  and  my  words  which  I  have 
put  in  thy  mouth,  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth,  nor 
out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of 
thy  seed's  seed,  saith  the  Lord,  from  henceforth  and  for 
ever.] 

Arise,  shine ;    for  thy  light  is  come,  and  the  glory  of  60 

The  other  tradition  is  that  of  our  Hebrew  Massoretic  text  trans- 
lated in  the  R.  V.  above.  In  that  translation  substitute '  rrturn  '  for 
'turn,'  i.  e.  are  converted.  This  latter  tradition  appears  to  us 
intrinsically  more  probable  than  that  on  which  the  LXX  is  based 
(followed  by  Duhm),  which  seems  to  be  a  later  version  originating 
from  later  internal  conditions  of  the  Jewish  community. 

It  is  impossible  to  dissociate  the  person  of  Nehemiah  from  this 
goel  or  '  redeemer,'  just  as  Zerubbabel  is  naturally  suggested  by  the 
'  prince  and  commander  '  of  Iv.  4.  He  was  in  all  probability  the 
inaugurator  of  the  light  of  which  the  following  chapter  speaks. 

21.  This  verse  is  prosaic  and  not  metric.  Moreover,  its  reference 
to  the  covenant,  as  Duhm  points  out,  seems  based  on  the  language 
of  the  Priestercodex  (Gen.  ix.  9,  xvii.  4).  It  has  all  the  appearance 
of  being  a  later  addition  incorporated  in  an  earlier  collection. 
See  p.  238. 

Chapters  LX-LXII. 
A  l3'ric  collection,  probably  composed  on  the  occasion  of 
Nehemiah's  advent  to  Jerusalem  in  445  b.  c,  when  a  new  and 
happier  era  of  progress  and  religious  reform  dawned  on  Israel. 
Both  style  and  contents  clearly  show  that  Deutero-Isaianic  materia! 
has  been  employed. 

Chapter  LX 
is  a  poetic  exaltation  of  the  New  Jerusalem  and  its  heritage  of 
glory  and  blessing,  which  strongly  reminds  us  of  the  Deutero- 
Isaiah  [\\\\  Hi.  i  foil.,  xlix.  14  foil.).  It  is  to  be  irradiated  by  the  light 
of  the  Divine  Presence,  and  is  to  be  enriched  with  the  treasures  of 
foreign  peoples.  Its  inhabitants  shall  be  righteous  citizens,  who 
shall  form  a  strong  and  victorious  theocracy.  Not  a  word  is  said 
about  a  Messianic  King. 

The  poem  in  Duhm's  arrangement  falls  into  ten  strophes  of  four 
long  lines  (each  a  distich)  in  every  strophe.  Verse  12  has  all  the 
appearance  of  being  a  later  prosaic  addition. 

r-3.  First  strophe  (verses  1-3)  portrays  Jerusalem  in  the  hour 


28o  ISAIAH  60.  2,  3 

2  the  Lord  is  risen  upon  thee.  For,  behold,  darkness 
shall  cover  the  earth,  and  gross  darkness  the  peoples  : 
but  the  Lord  shall  arise  upon  thee,  and  his  glory  shall 

3  be  seen   upon  thee.     And   nations  shall  come  to  thy 

of  early  sunrise.  Its  mountains  catch  the  first  rays,  while  the 
surrounding  earth  and  its  inhabitants  are  enveloped  in  the  gloom 
of  night. 

1.  The  city  is  here  addressed  as  a  woman  (cf.  xlix.  i8,  H.  17,  Hi. 
I  foil.,  liv.  i),  apparently  l3'ing  prostrate  on  the  earth  (suggested 
by  the  ruined  walls  and  buildings)  in  the  humiliation  and  sorrow 
of  the  preceding  night  of  gloom  (cf.  li.  17)'.  She  is  bidden  to  rise 
at  the  visitation  of  the  coming  light  of  her  emancipation  and  glory. 
According  to  Duhm  the  perfects  here  '  transport  us  into  the 
future,'  and  apparently  are  to  be  regarded  as  prophetic  perfects. 
This  we  hold  to  be  a  wrong  explanation.  Marti  rightly  takes 
them  as  ordinary  perfects,  describing  what  has  just  been  con- 
summated. This  is  indicated  by  the  preceding  imperatives  '  rise,' 
*  shine.'  '  Shine  '  here  means,  as  Rosenmiiller  interprets  it,  sereno 
sis  animo  (following  Kimhi,  Koppe,  and  Eichhorn)  : — 'Greet  the 
morn  which  has  arisen  with  a  glad  heart.'  That  the  light  of  this 
new  day  is  associated  in  the  mind  of  the  writer  with  the  advent  of 
Nehemiah,  445  b.  c,  is  exceedingly  probable. 

2.  The  future  tenses  shall  arise  .  .  .  shall  be  seen  should  be 
replaced  by  present.  Moreover,  upon  thee  in  the  original  is 
emphatic,  and  stands  contrasted  with  the  Gentile  peoples  who  are 
involved  in  deep  darkness.     Accordingly  render  : — 

'For  see  !  darkness  covers  the  land — and  gloom  the  peoples. 
But  on  thee  gleams  Yahweh,  and  His  glory  appears  upon  thee.' 
The  contrast  reminds  us  of  the  episodes  that  preceded  and 
accompanied  the  exodus  (Exod.  x.  22,  23  E).  We  have  already 
had  occasion  to  note  that  the  Deutero-Isaiah  recalled  the  events 
of  that  early  time  of  Israel's  deliverance  from  Egypt  (Isa.  xlviii. 
21,  li.  10,  II,  Hi.  12). 

3.  The  light  which  shone  on  Zion  attracts  the  Gentile  nations 
and  their  monarchs  from  their  world  of  gloom.  For  rising' 
substitute  'ray.'  We  have  again  a  Deutcro-Isaianic  echo  in  this 
reference  to  Gentile  potentates ;  cf.  xlix.  7,  23  [lii.  15]. 

Strophes  2-4  (verses  4-9)  portrav  the  advancing  crowd  of  Jews  of 
the  Diaspora  and  of  Gentiles  that  bring  their  wealth  to  Jerusalem. 


^  LXX  (poJTi^ov,  (pcuTi^ov,  'lepovcraXrifi  is  based  on  a  different  text 
in  which  the  second  imperat.  {orf)  is  repeated.  This  is  a  Deutero- 
Isaianic  trait  (see  p.  35).  The  addition  of  the  name  Jerusalem  is 
probably  a  gloss, 


ISAIAH  GO.  4,  5  28r 

light,  and  kings  to  the  brightness  of  thy  rising.  Lift  4 
up  thine  eyes  round  about,  and  see  :  they  all  gather 
themselves  together,  they  come  to  thee  :  thy  sons  shall 
come  from  far,  and  thy  daughters  shall  be  carried  in  the 
arms.  Then  thou  shalt  see  and  be  lightened,  and  thine  5 
heart  shall  tremble  and  be  enlarged  ;  because  the  abun- 
dance of  the  sea  shall  be  turned  unto  thee,  the  wealth 


4.  The  beginning  of  this  verse  is  obviously  borrow^ed  from  xlix. 
18,  while  the  latter  part  of  the  verse  is  varied  from  xlix.  22. 
Both  here  and  in  Ixvi.  12  the  'side'  or 'hip'  is  the  part  of  the 
body  on  which  the  young  (in  this  case  the  daughters)  are  carried, 
as  is  usual  in  the  Orient.  The  LXX  render  '  thy  daughters  shall 
be  carried  on  shonldcrs,^  as  in  xlix.  22  (to  which  it  is  possible  that 
their  Hebrew  text  conformed).  Yox  the  R.  V.  rendering  arms 
substitute  that  of  the  R.  V.  marg.  'side.' 

The  word  rendered  here  carried  is  not  the  same  as  that  which 
is  employed  in  the  parallel  xlix.  22,  but  another  of  finer  significance, 
which  is  especiall}^  used  in  reference  to  those  who  tend  children  ; 
'nursed,'  R.V.  marg.,  fairly  expresses  it. 

5.  R.  v.,  rightly,  then  thou  shalt  see,  with  LXX  and  other 
ancient  versions,  as  well  as  Saadiah,  Kimhi,  Rosenmtiller,  and 
many  subsequent  commentators  ;  and  this  is  evidently  what  is 
intended  by  the  Massoretic  Hebrew  punctuation.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  are  numerous  Hebrew  MSS.  which  have  a  slightly 
different  punctuation  whereby  the  verbal  form  comes  from  a 
different  stem,  'Thou  shalt  fear,'  and  it  has  been  supposed  that 
the  following  clause  supports  this  meaning  (so  Ibn  'Ezra,  Lowth, 
Gesenius,  Oort,  and  others).  But  the  verbal  form  which  im- 
mediatelj^  follows  renders  this  improbable.  Accordingly  we  should 
translate  : — 

'Then  shalt  thou  see  and  beam^  (with  joy)- and  thy  heart 
shall  tremble  and  expand.' 

The  expression  beam  or  shine  with  joy  will  be  found  in  Ps.  xxxiv. 

1  A.  V.  follows  another  meaning  of  the  Hebrew  root  (in  reality 
a  distinct  root)  which  occurs  in  Isa.  ii.  2,  meaning  '  flow '  (cf.  nahar, 
'  river  ').  '  piow  together  '  will  then  mean  the  same  as  the  Hebrew 
word  for  'dissolve'  or  'melt'  (Deut.  xx.  S;  Isa.  xiii.  7,  xix.  i; 
Nah.  ii.  11,  &c.),  only  it  does  not  mean  'flow  in  fear,'  h\xt  as 
Doderlein  Interprets  it,  turn  tremes  prae  lactitia,  '  then  wilt  thou 
tremble  for  joy^  in  harmony  with  a  subsequent  clause.  This,  how- 
ever, simply  involves  a  tame  repetition  of  the  same  conception. 


282  ISAIAH  60.  6,  7 

6  of  the  nations  shall  come  unto  thee.  The  multitude 
of  camels  shall  cover  thee,  the  dromedaries  of  Midian 
and  Ephah  ;  they  all  shall  come  from  Sheba  :  they  shall 
bring  gold  and    frankincense,   and    shall   proclaim    the 

7  praises  of  the  Lord.     All  the  flocks  of  Kedar  shall  be 

5  (6  Heb.),  while  the  conception  of  trembling  with  exultation  will 
be  found  in  Jer.  xxxiii.  9,  and  that  of  expanding  with  joy  in  Ps. 
XXV.  17,  cxix.  32.  The  opposite  idea  is  that  of  shrinking  with 
dismay.  '  The  wealth  of  the  sea,'  as  the  following  clause  indicates, 
means  not  merely  the  products  of  islands  or  lands  bordering  on 
the  sea,  but  also  the  merchandise  carried  in  ships. 

6.  A  vast  stream  of  trading  Arab  caravans,  laden  with  gold  and 
fragrant  incense-resins,  makes  its  way  to  the  holy  city  from  the 
Midianite  region  Epha  (cf.  Gen.  xxv.  2,  4  and  Bennett's  note  in 
'Genesis'  of  the  Century  Bible).  On  Sheba  see  above  note  on 
chap,  xliii.  3.  Cf.  Gen.  x.  7.  This  land  in  South  Arabia,  now 
called  Yejjten  (which  properly,  like  the  Hebrew  ydntin,  means 
'  South '\  was  celebrated  in  very  early  times  as  the  region  from 
which  the  fragrant  resin  called  lehhonah  (frankincense)  was 
obtained.  Cf.  Jer.  vi.  20.  Its  chief  use  was  in  sacrificial  worship 
(Lev.  ii.  T,  16  ;  Isa.  xliii.  23)  even  as  late  as  the  days  of  Virgil 
('centumque  Sabaeo  ture  calent  arae').  According  to  Pliny  the 
chief  rendezvous  for  the  trade  was  Sabota  in  Hadramaut,  from 
which  the  caravans  started  for  Gaza.  LXX  (Codex  A  and 
Sinaitic)  add  the  v^'ords  'and  precious  stones,'  in  accordance  with 
Ezek,  xxvii.  22.  This  is  an  obvious  gloss  to  our  Hebrew  text. 
Metrical  considerations  dispose  Duhm,  Marti,  and  Cheyne  to  omit 
the  words  '  they  shall  bring  gold  and  frankincense.'  The  further 
extension  in  LXX  gives  some  colour  to  this  view.  Some  later 
scribe  wished  to  specif}'  the  products  of  Sheba  or  Sabaea,  which 
were  well  known  ^  Cf.  i  Kings  x.  2;  Ps.  Ixxii.  15;  Ezek. 
xxvii.  22. 

The  word  multitude  in  the  original  properly  means  abundance 
or  overflow  (applied  to  water  in  Job  xxii.  11,  xxxviii.  34,  to 
animals,  i.  e.  horses,  in  Ezek.  xxvi.  10,  and  to  human  beings  in 
2  Kings  ix.  17). 

Even  these  foreign  traders  that  flock  to  Jerusalem  proclaim 
Yahweh's  praises,  i.  e.  his  glorious  deeds  ;  cf.  chap.  Ixiii.  7, 

*J.  Respecting  Kedar  and  Nebaioth  see  note  on  Isa.  xxi.   16 

^  Whether  the  frankincense,  gold  (and  precious  stones,  LXX) 
formed  an  integral  part  of  the  text  or  not,  they  must  be  mentally 
supplied.  They  seem  necessary  to  give  adequate  meaning  to  the 
last  clause  of  the  following  verse,  'adorn  my  beauteous  house.' 


ISAIAH  60.  8  283 

gathered  together  unto  thee,  the  rams  of  Nebaioth  shall 
minister  unto  thee  :  they  shall  come  up  with  acceptance 
on  mine  altar,  and  I  will  glorify  the  house  of  my  glory. 
Who  are  these  that  fly  as  a  cloud,  and  as  the  doves  to  S 

(vol.  i).  Both  belonged  to  North  Arabia,  and  in  Gen.  xxv.  13  are 
called  sons  of  Ishmael.  Kedar  is  a  wealthy  pastoral  tribe  (Jer. 
xlix.  29)  famous  for  its  archers  (Isa.  xxi.  16  f.).  In  Gen.  xxviii.  9, 
xxxvi.  3  we  read  of  Nebaioth  as  giving  Esau  one  of  his  wives. 
We  might  infer  from  this  its  near  neighbourhood  (prob.  E.)  fo 
Edom,  Kedar  lay  still  farther  to  the  East.  (Driver  on  Gen. 
xxv.  13.) 

This  verse  continues  the  thought  of  the  preceding,  and  discloses 
the  motive  for  these  foreign  arrivals.  The  products  brought  by 
the  trading  caravans  from  Sheba,  which  the  Hebrew  text  supplies, 
as  well  as  the  flocks  which  come  from  Northern  Arabia  for 
sacrifice,  were  to  enhance  the  dignity  and  splendour  of  Yahweh's 
worship.  Following  the  LXX  we  should  render  in  the  last  clause 
from  a  purer  text :  'And  my  beauteous^  house  shall  be  adorned.^ 
This  involves  the  change  of  onlj'  a  single  character. 

Fourth  Strophe.  Verses  8-9  now  portray'  the  return  of  the  Jewish 
diaspora  like  clouds  of  birds  seeking  their  home-land  as  doves 
back  to  the  old  dovecote  2.  They  even  come  from  distant  shores 
transported  on  vessels  of  large  tonnage  to  convey  their  stores  and 
valuables. 

8.  fly  as  a  cloud  is  expressed  by  an  alliterative  phrase  in  the 
original,  which  we  might  represent  by  *  cleave  their  way  as  a  cloud.'' 
The  metaphor  is  held  by  the  Targum  to  express  *  swiftness.'  It 
paraphrases  '  who  come  like  swift  clouds  and  pause  not.'  Similarly 
Dillmann,  Kittel,  and  Marti  consider  that  the  simile  is  intended  to 
express  speed.  Rosenmuller,  however,  is  probably  right  in  holding 
that  the  'cloud '  here  is  rather  intended  to  express  the  conception 
of  vast  tntmbers.  He  cites  as  a  parallel  Virgil,  Georg.  iv.  60  in 
reference  to  bees — 

'  obscuramque  trahi  vento  mirabere  nubent ' ; 

^  Perhaps  we  should  follow  the  LXX  still  further  and  read  '  my 
house  oi prayer'  (^nVDn)  as  in  Ivi.  7;  on  the  other  hand,  the  reading 
of  our  existing  Hebrew  text  'I  will  adorn'  has  a  close  parallel  in 
verse  13  (last  clause). 

*  In  place  of  'to  their  lattice-windows'  LXX  had  a  different  text, 
'  with  their  young  ones.'  Houbigant  suggested  Drrn^CX-br  (a  reading 
of  which  Lowth  approved)  as  the  LXX  original.  The  idea  expressed 
is  that  of  the  return  of  the  scattered  Jews  from  their  foreign  abodes 
accompanied  by  their  children. 


284  ISAIAH  60.  9 

9  their  windows?  Surely  the  isles  shall  wait  for  me,  and 
the  ships  of  Tarshish  first,  to  bring  thy  sons  from  far, 
their  silver  and  their  gold  with  them,  for  the  name  of  the 
Lord  thy  God,  and  for  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  because 


The  poet  seeks  to  express  the  conception  of  multitudes  of  home- 
coming Jews  bringing  with  them  their  little  ones  like  a  mighty 
swarm  of  birds  that  darken  the  sky.     Cf.  verse  6  above. 

9.  The  rendering  wait  for  me  is  based  on  the  punctuation  of 
the  Massoretic  text,  which  here  accords  with  the  LXX  rendering. 
The  verb  is  regarded  as  a  Pi'el  form,  and  this  finds  support  in  such 
Deutero-Isaianic  passages  as  xlii.  4,  11.  5. 

But  there  is  probability  in  the  conjecture  originally  put  forth  by 
Luzatto  that  we  should  read  the  verbal  form  not  as  a  Pi'el  but  as 
a  Nif'al.  This  involves  no  change  in  the  characters  of  the  text 
but  only  in  the  pronunciation.  This  seems  to  be  suggested  by 
the  interesting  parallel,  Jer.  iii.  17.  We  should  then  render 
'  Yea,  unto  me  the  coast-lands  (i.  e.  tlieir  inhabitants)  gather  them- 
selves.'' Delitzsch  argues  that  if  we  adopt  this  modification  we 
should  go  further  and  read  goytm  ('  foreign  nations  ')  in  place  of 
iyyim  in  our  text  (meaning  '  coast-lands')  ^  But  this  does  not 
improve  the  sense.  Verses  8-9  (forming  the  fourth  strophe) 
refer  to  the  home-coming  Jews,  while  it  is  the  preceding  strophe 
(verses  6-7)  which  refers  to  the  foreign  caravans  from  Arabia. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  ingenious  conjecture  siyyim,  *  ships,' 
proposed  by  Duhm  and  adopted  by  Cheyne,  restores  to  us  the 
parallelism,  and  prepares  us  for  the  otherwise  abrupt  introduction 
of  Tarshish  vessels  : — 

'Yea,  unto  me  ships  assemble  themselves — and  the  Tarshish 
vessels  first.' 

Both  Duhm  and  Marti  assume  that  their  silver  and  gold  means 
the  wealth  possessed  by  the  Gentiles,  which  is  wholly  contrary 
to  the  plain  sense  of  the  passage,  in  wliich  the  possessive  *  their  ' 
evidently  refers  to  Zion's  sons  2,  whom  the  Tarshish  ships  have 

^  Cf.  above  xli.  5  and  LXX,  which  read  goyim  for  fyyim.  See 
p.  Qj  and  footnote. 

^  Duhm's  assumption  that  the  Jews  in  exile  were  not  wealthy  is  by 
no  means  borne  out  by  the  evidence.  They  probably  carried  out 
the  instructions  of  Jeremiah's  epistle  (Jer.  xxi.x),  and,  after  the 
conquest  of  Babylon  by  Cyrus,  were  in  many  cases  very  loth  to  leave 
the  land  where  they  had  settled  and  prospered.  In  the  deportations 
of  597  and  5S7-G  it  was  the  most  energetic  portion  of  the  race  that 


ISAIAH  60.  10,  12  285 

he  hath  glorified  thee.     And  strangers  shall  build  up  thy  10 
walls,  and  their  kings  shall  minister  unto  thee :   for  in 
my  wrath  I  smote  thee,  but  in  my  favour  have  I  had 
mercy  on  thee.    Thy  gates  also  shall  be  open  continually;  " 
they  shall  not  be  shut  day  nor  night;   that  men  may 
bring  unto  thee  the  wealth  of  the  nations,  and  their 

brought  in  great  numbers  to  the  coast  of  Palestine.  On  ships  of 
Tarshisli  see  note  in  vol.  i,  p.  103  (on  Isa.  ii.  16) ;  cf.  also  p.  262. 
The  silver  and  the  gold  are  destined  for  the  adornment  of  the 
temple  to  do  honour  'to  the  name  of  Yahweh.'  Here  'name,'  as 
elsewhere,  means  personal  presence. 

Fifth  Strophe  (verses  10,  11).  We  here  pass  from  the  Jewish 
returning  exiles  to  the  Gentiles  once  more  (as  in  the  third 
strophe).  The  foreigner  is  to  serve  the  Jew  in  performing  the 
manual  labour  of  building  up  the  ruined  walls  (cf.  Ixi.  4 ;  Neh. 
i.  3),  a  trait  which  once  more  reminds  us  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah 
(cf.  xlv.  14).  Even  kings  of  foreign  peoples  are  to  bring  the 
wealth  of  their  lands  to  enrich  Jerusalem. 

10.  The  change  from  God's  former  attitude  of  stern  disciplinary 
wrath  to  one  of  loving  compassion  is  another  echo  from  the 
Deutero-Isaiah  (liv.  7,  8).     Cf.  also  Ivii.  17,  18. 

11.  The  g'ates  to  which  this  verse  refers  were  at  this  time 
in  a  state  of  ruin  (Neh.  i.  3,  ii.  3),  and  had  probably  remained  in 
the  condition  in  which  the  armies  of  Nebuchadrezzar  had  left 
them  in  586  b.  c.  (cf.  2  Kings  xxv.  9).  The  verbal  form  employed 
here  continues  the  future  tenses  of  the  preceding  verses  (5-10). 
The  restoration  of  the  walls  to  which  verse  10  refers  may 
be  assumed  to  have  reached  completion.  The  gates,  which 
have  now  been  erected  ^,  are  thrown  open  wide  day  and  night  to 
receive  the  unceasing  stream  of  foreign  wealth. 

Instead  of  the  passive  partic.  which  closes  this  verse,  rendered 
led  (so  LXX  and  other  versions  including  Targ.),  recent  commenta- 
tors (Duhm,  Gratz,  Cheyne,  Kittel,  and  Marti)  prefer  to  read  the 
active  partic.  '  their  kings  leading  [them].'  It  is  argued  that  this  is 
more  in  accordance  with  verses  3  and  10,  which  do  not  represent 
the  kings  of  foreign  races  as  occupying  this  servile  position.     But 

were  carried  ofE  into  exile  (2  Kings  xxiv.  14^  xxv.  12).  The  poverty 
of  Israel  was  to  be  found  in  Palestine  and  not  in  the  diaspora.  Cf. 
also  note  on  Iv.  i,  and  Kent,  Hist,  of  the  Jewish  People' ,  p.  38  f . 

^  The  decorative  details  of  '  carbuncles  '  (LXX  crystals),  contained 
in  liv.  12,  are  not  here  given,  though  the  LXX  addition  of  'precious 
stones '  in  verse  6  above  would  lead  us  to  anticipate  it. 


286  ISAIAH  60.  12-14 

12  kings  led  with  them.  [For  that  nation  and  kingdom 
that  will  not  serve  thee  shall  perish  ;  yea,  those  nations 

13  shall  be  utterly  wasted.]  The  glory  of  Lebanon  shall 
come  unto  thee,  the  fir  tree,  the  pine,  and  the  box  tree 
together;    to  beautify  the  place  of  my  sanctuary,   and 

14  I  will  make  the  place  of  my  feet  glorious.  And  the  sons 
of  them  that  afflicted  thee  shall  come  bending  unto  thee ; 

against  this  it  might  be  argued  (a)  that  the  verses  just  mentioned 
are  not  inconsistent  with  the  reading  of  the  partic.  as  a 
passive.  In  verse  3  they  may  be  regarded  as  the  kings  of  subject 
races  brought  by  compulsion  to  swell  the  triumph  of  Israel. 
(6)  We  might  regard  it  as  another  Deutero-Isaianic  trait  in  accord 
with  xlv.  14  ^  (c)  Verse  12,  which  most  critics  rightly  regard  as 
a  prosaic  addition  (contained  in  the  LXX),  may  have  been  added 
with  express  reference  to  the  passive  participial  form,  {d)  The 
traditional  reading  is  in  accord  with  verses  14  foil. 

12.  The  spirit  of  this  prosaic  addition  is  that  of  Zech.  xiv.  14-19. 

13.  Israel  shall  be  able  to  command  the  supply  of  the  finest 
varieties  of  timber  like  the  Assyrian  conquerors  of  old  ;  cf.  xli.  19, 
and  see  note  on  Isa.  x.  19  ad  fin.,  vol.  i,  p.  166.  As  a  matter  of 
actual  history  we  may  infer  from  Neh.  ii.  8  that  timber  was 
supplied  by  the  Persian  keeper  of  the  Royal  Parks  for  Nehemiah's 
use. 

place  of  my  feet  is  an  expression  borrowed  from  Ezek.  xliii.  7, 
where  'place  of  the  soles  of  my  feet'  stands  in  parallelism  with 
'the  place  of  my  throne,'  just  as  here  it  stands  synonymous 
with  'place  of  m}'  sanctuary.'  For  make  .  .  .  glorious  substitute 
'do  honour  to.' 

14.  The  LXX  here  omit  an  entire  clause,  'and  shall  bow 
themselves  down  at  the  soles  of  thy  feet,'  and  it  is  certainly 
quite  possible  that  it  was  added  as  a  later  extension  of  the  text. 
It  mars  the  strophic  arrangement ;  accordingly,  Duhm  omits  it  : — 

*  And  there  shall  come  to  thee  bending  low — the  sons  of  those 
that  oppressed  and  despised  thee, 
And  shall  call  thee  Yahweh's  city— Zion  of  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel.' 

^  We  might  then  suppose  that  the  compulsion  to  serve  Israel  was 
applied  (in  the  thought  of  the  writer)  by  Persia,  just  as  Cyrus  is 
assumed  to  apply  it  in  the  case  of  Egypt  and  Ethiopia ;  cf.  xliii.  3, 
xlv.  14.  Certainly  without  the  strong  arm  of  Persia  the  reforms  of 
Nehemiah  and  Ezra  would  not  have  been  consummated  under  the 
existing  collocation  of  conditions. 


ISAIAH  60.  16-17  287 

and  all  they  that  despised  thee  shall   bow  themselves 
down  at  the  soles  of  thy  feet ;   and  they  shall  call  thee 
The  city  of  the  Lord,  The  Zion  of  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel.     Whereas  thou  hast  been  forsaken  and  hated,  so  15 
that  no  man  passed  through  thee,  I  will  make  thee  an 
eternal  excellency,  a  joy  of  many  generations.     Thou  16 
shalt  also  suck  the  milk  of  the  nations,  and  shalt  suck 
the  breast  of  kings  :    and  thou  shalt  know  that  I  the 
Lord  am  thy  saviour,  and  thy  redeemer,   the  Mighty 
One  of  Jacob.     For  brass  I  will  bring  gold,  and  for  iron  17 
I  will  bring  silver,  and  for  wood  brass,  and  for  stones 
iron  :    I   will  also  make   thy  officers   peace,  and  thine 


Strophes  7-10  (verses  15-22)  portray  the  future  transformation 
of  Zion  from  its  previous  physical  and  moral  desolation  and 
abandonment  into  external  exaltation  and  splendour,  and  into 
internal  purity  and  moral  order  in  which  God  shall  be  its 
everlasting  light. 

15.  so  that  no  man  passed  throug-h  thee  (in  the  original 
'  without  one  that  passes  by ')  is  not  the  expression  used  in  the 
text  employed  by  the  LXX,  who  read  'ozer  for  'obher,  '  without 
helper''  (or  'with  none  to  help'),  a  more  usual  phrase  (cf.  Ps. 
Ixxii.  12,  &c.).  It  is,  moreover,  sustained  by  the  following  verse, 
which  then  points  back  to  this  :  *I,  Yahweh,  am  thy  Saviour.' 
'Without  one  that  passes  by'  would  mean  that  in  former  times 
Jerusalem  was  comparatively  deserted,  and  there  was  no  traffic — 
no  caravans  or  travellers —that  passed  through  the  city.  The 
town  and  its  neighbourhood  were  in  decay.  This  was  the 
condition  of  Jerusalem  with  its  ruined  walls  prior  to  Nehemiah's 
advent. 

16.  This  verse  possesses  little  originality.  The  first  part  is 
a  modification  of  xlix.  23,  while  the  latter  part,  'and  thou  shalt 
know,  &c.,'  is  an  almost  exact  copy  of  the  latter  part  of  xlix.  26. 
This  verse  merely  expresses  in  graphic  metaphor  the  idea  already 
presented  in  verse  11,  that  the  wealth  of  foreign  nations  shall  be 
brought  in  to  adorn  Jerusalem. 

17.  The  more  precious  metals  shall  take  the  place  of  the 
cheaper.  Gold  takes  the  place  of  the  baser  metal,  bronze,  and 
silver  of  iron.  We  have  here  the  current  rhetorical  phraseology 
descriptive  of  an  age  of  prosperity.  Cf.  i  Kings  x.  21,  27  ;  Duhra 
would  excise  the  line  '  and  in  place  of  timber  bronze,  and  instead 


M 


ISAIAH  60.  i8, 19 


18  exactors  righteousness.  Violence  shall  no  more  be 
heard  in  thy  land,  desolation  nor  destruction  within  thy 
borders  ;  but  thou  shalt  call  thy  walls  Salvation,  and  thy 

19  gates  Praise.     The  sun  shall  be  no  more  thy  light  by 

of  stones  iron '  as  a  later  addition  which  gives  the  strophe  a  line 
in  excess.     It  is  contained,  however,  in  the  LXX. 

The  word  officers  is  expressed  in  the  original  by  an  abstract 
feminine  collective  '  officialdom.'  '  Peace  '  might  be  taken  as  a 
pregnant  phrase  signifying — devoted  to  the  well-being  of  the 
Jewish  community  and  living  in  friendship  with  them.  Exactors 
(R.V.  marg.  'taskmasters')  are  to  behave  justly  to  those  with 
whom  they  have  to  deal.  This  is  the  interpretation  underlying  the 
LXX  version,  and  it  is  quite  possibly  the  correct  one.  The  writer 
may  in  fact  have  been  thinking  of  Persian  officers  or  Jewish  rulers 
appointed  by  the  Persian  court  as  the  officials  who  are  to  be  on 
friendly  terms  with  the  Jewish  population,  though  this  is  not 
expressly  stated,  since  it  would  be  somewhat  out  of  harmony  with 
the  tone  of  national  self-exaltation  expressed  in  verses  10-14  ^^d 
16  above.  On  the  whole  it  is  more  probable  that  Duhm,  Kittel, 
and  Marti  are  right  in  making  'peace'  and  'righteousness'  as  the 
direct  objects  of  the  verb  : — 

*  I  will  make  peace  as  thy  magistracy  and  righteousness  as 
thy  taskmasters.' 

The  new  era  of  peace  and  righteousness,  which  was  now  about 
to  dawn,  stands  contrasted  with  the  black  shadows  of  violence  and 
injustice  which  darkened  the  immediate  past  portrayed  in  Ivi.  10, 
II,  Ivii.  I,  Iviii.  4  foil.,  lix.  3-9. 

18.  These  shadows  of  the  past — violence  and  destruction— shall 
pass  away  from  the  land  in  which  the  city  is  situated.  In  token 
and  attestation  thereof  significant  names  are  to  be  given  to  the 
newly-built  walls  of  the  city.  Victory  and  Praise.  Probably  this 
last  trait  of  names  bestowed  on  walls  and  gates  is  borrowed  from 
Babylonia,  for  we  know  that  *  in  Babylon  one  of  the  great 
encircling  walls  bore  the  name  Imgnr-Bel,  "Bel  is  propitious,'' 
while  the  other  was  called  Nimiiti-Bel,  "Foundation  of  Bel'" 
(Schrader,  in  COT.,  i,  p.  174,  on  i  Kings  vii.  21,  which  refers  to  the 
names  of  the  two  pillars  of  Solomon's  temple,  Ydchin  and  Boas). 

Verses  19-22.  These  closing  verses  depict  the  moral  excellence 
of  this  new  City  of  God  where  God  shines  as  the  everlasting  light. 
There  is  an  immense  growth  in  population. 

19.  Yahweh's  eternal  presence  illuminates  and  glorifies  the 
city,  and  His  light  takes  the  place  of  sun  and  moon.  Cf.  Rev.  xxi. 
23,  xxii.  5. 


ISAIAH  60.  20—61.  I  289 

day ;    neither  for  brightness  shall  the  moon  give  light 
unto  thee  :   but  the  Lord  shall  be  unto  thee  an  ever- 
lasting light,  and  thy  God  thy  glory.     Thy  sun  shall  no  20 
more  go  down,  neither  shall  thy  moon  withdraw  itself : 
for  the  Lord  shall  be  thine  everlasting  light,  and  the 
days  of  thy  mourning  shall  be  ended.     Thy  people  also  ai 
shall  be  all   righteous,   they  shall  inherit   the  land  for 
ever ;  the  branch  of  my  planting,  the  work  of  my  hands, 
that  I  may  be  glorified.     The  little  one  shall  become  22 
a  thousand,  and  the  small  one  a  strong  nation  :    I  the 
Lord  will  hasten  it  in  its  time. 

The  spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  me ;  because  the  61 

20.  The  same  conception  is  repeated  in  varied  language.  As 
Yahweh's  presence  is  the  city's  constant  and  unchanging  light 
that  is  to  the  inhabitants  both  sun  and  moon,  it  may  be  said  that 
their  sun  never  sets  and  their  moon  is  always  full  and  never 
wanes.     Cf.  the  thought  of  Jas.  i,  17. 

21 .  The  moral  consequence  of  Yahweh's  abiding  and  illuminating 
presence  is  the  universal  spread  of  righteousness  :  '  All  thy  people 
are  righteous,'  and  the  further  consequence  flows  :  the  soil 
becomes  the  possession  of  the  people  for  ever  (cf.  Ps.  xxxvii.  29). 
For  'His  planting'  in  the  Kethtbh  (Hebrew  written  consonantal 
text)  we  have  in  the  Kre  (or  what  was  read  in  the  Synagogue) 
and  some  MSS.  as  well  as  in  Targ.,  Pesh.,  and  Vulg.  the  better 
reading  'My  planting'  [LXX   'guarding  (noser)  the  plantation']. 

22.  For  thousand  Duhm  and  Marti  substitute  *  a  tribe.'  The 
original  Hebrew  eleph  is  interpreted  as  a  quite  distinct  word  from 
the  same  form  used  as  a  numeral.  This  view,  however,  does  not 
commend  itself  to  us  as  so  probable,  nor  has  it  the  support  of  the 
LXX.  Elep/i,  meaning  'clan,'  or  perhaps  'tribe,'  seems  an  inade- 
quate equivalent  to  '  a  powerful  nation '  in  the  parallel  clause.  On 
the  other  hand,  'thousand,'  Hke  'myriad,'  is  used  as  a  general 
expression  for  a  large  number. 

Chapters  LXI  and  LXII 

may  be  regarded  as  a  connected  whole,  following  naturally  upon 
chap.  Ix,  and  dealing  with  the  same  theme,  the  advent  of  a  glorious 
future  for  the  Jewish  state.  While  the  previous  chapter  (Ix) 
presents  innumerable  points  of  contact  with  and  resemblance  to 
the  Deutero-Isaiah,  these  two  following  chapters  are  in  several 
points   reminiscent  of  the   Seivant-poems  as   well  as   of  other 

U 


290  ISAIAH  61.  I 

Lord  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  unto 
the  meek ;  he  hath  sent  me  to  bind  up  the  broken- 
analogous  passages  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah.  Thus  we  might  compare 
Ixi.  I  with  xlii.  i,  3  (also  1.  4,  xlix.  9),  Ixi.  7,  8  with  Deutero- 
Isaianic  xl.  2  (also  Iv.  3),  Ixii.  10  foil,  with  the  Deutero-Isaianic 
passages  xl.  3,  10,  xlix.  22,  xlviii.  20.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
announcement  of  a  day  of  vengeance  from  our  God,  Ixi.  2,  5  stands 
in  contrast  with  the  spirit  of  the  '  Servant-songs.' 

The  speaker  expressly  declares  himself  to  be  a  prophet  charged 
with  the  high  mission  of  preaching  a  message  of  good  news  to  the 
afflicted  and  heart-broken  and  of  deliverance  to  the  captives,  the 
advent  of  a  year  of  Divine  favour  and  comfort  for  the  sorrowing. 
The  century-old  desolations  are  to  be  repaired  (Ixi.  4).  These 
happy  days  of  Jerusalem's  glory  have  not  yet  arrived.  Mean- 
while God's  messenger  will  not  cease  his  exhortations  until  their 
advent  (Ixii.  1).  A  strain  of  exultant  anticipation  follows,  re- 
sounding with  Deutero-Isaianic  echoes  (verses  6  foil.,  10  foil). 

Chap,  ixi  1.  From  the  introductory  remarks  above  it  will  be 
clearly  seen  that  the  view  of  the  older  expositors  (Hengstenberg, 
Delitzsch,  Nagelsbach,  Orelli)  that  it  is  the  servant  of  Yahweh  who 
is  here  speaking  (as  in  xlix.  i  foil.,  1.  4  foil.)  is  quite  untenable. 
Some  of  the  traits,  it  is  true,  remind  us  of  that  earlier  portraiture 
of  the  preceding  century.  The  spirit  of  God  is  upon  him  to  bring 
comfort  to  the  broken-hearted  and  lead  the  prisoners  out  of  the 
dungeon  (cf.  xlii.  i.  3,  7,  xlix.  9,  1.  4) ;  yet  it  is  quite  obvious 
that  the  present  passage  regards  the  speaker  who  is  anointed  by 
'  God  as  an  individual.  There  are  no  indications  which  identif3' 
him  with  an  Israelite  community  ;  still  less  that  the  blessing 
which  he  is  about  to  bring  upon  the  world  is  to  be  wrought  out 
by  his  own  sufferings  and  death,  and  that  it  is  to  bring  God's  light 
to  the  Gentile  as  well  as  the  Jew  (xlix.  6,  1.  6  foil,  liii).  More- 
over, '  the  day  of  vengeance  of  our  God '  (verse  2)  is  not  an  ex- 
pression that  the  Servant  of  Yahweh  would  use.  Here  it  is  an 
individual  who  speaks,  viz.  the  writer  himself,  and  he  simply  pro- 
claims the  advent  of  happier  days,  and  does  not  indicate  by  a 
word  that  he  is  himself  bringing  about  the  nobler  era  which  is  to 
dawn. 

anointed  here  is  of  course  purely  metaphorical,  and  symbolizes 
the  endowment  of  the  prophet  with  the  special  powers  of  the 
Divine  spirit  to  which  the  preceding  clause  refers.  Respecting 
the  origin  of  this  conception  of  the  word  anoint,  see  '  Messiah  '  in 
Hastings'  DCG.  vol.  ii,  p.  171. 

The  word  here  rendered  meek  (Heb.  '  dnaw)  is  often  used  in 
later  Hebrew  literature  (chiefly  in  the  Psalms)  in  the  sense  of 
'humble,'  submissive  to  Divine  authority;  but  where  it  occurs  in 


ISAIAH  61.  2  291 

hearted,   to  proclaim   liberty  to   the   captives,   and   the 
opening  of  the  prison  to  them  that  are  bound  ;  to  proclaim  2 
the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord,  and  the  day  of  ven- 

earlier  literature  (as  in  Amos  ii.  7,  viii.  4;  Isa.  xi.  4)  both  context 
and  parallelism  show  that  it  means  not  'meek,'  'submissive,' 
but  *  suffering,'  '  distressed,' '  miserable.'  In  other  words,  it  has  the 
same  signification  as  the  closely  similar  Hebrew  adjective  '  dni? 
It  may  indeed  have  been  confused  with  this  word,  and  some 
textual  critics  would  make  the  slight  change  into  this  adjectival 
form.  It  is  quite  possible  that  this  change  should  be  made  here  (as 
the  LXX  '  poor '  appears  to  indicate). 

bind  up  the  brokenliearted,  as  the  surgeon  binds  up  the 
gaping  wound,  a  metaphor  occasionally  used  by  the  pre-exilian 
Isaiah,  i.  6,  iii.  7. 

The  word  liberty,  in  the  original  deror,  employed  by  the  prophets 
of  the  sixth  century  (Jeremiah,  Ezekiel)  as  well  as  by  later  writers, 
is  probably  a  loan-word  from  the  Babylonian  durdru. 

The  compound  form  in  the  original  rendered  opening^  has  been 
variously  interpreted,  as  the  R.V.  and  R.  V.  marg.  indicate. 
The  Hebrew  verb  is  properly  used  of  the  opening  of  the  eyes 
(Gen.  xxi.  19  ;  2  Kings  vi.  20 ;  Isa.  xlii.  7,  &c.),  in  one  case  opening 
of  the  ears  (xlii.  20).  Accordingly  Dillmann  is  thoroughly  justified 
in  rendering,  'and  to  the  captives  clear  vision'  (or  with  R.V.  marg. 
'  opening  of  the  eyes  '),  the  underlying  conception  being  that  con- 
finement in  the  dark  dungeon  places  the  captives  in  the  position 
of  blind  men  ^. 

2.  Tlxe  day  of  vengreance  introduces  a  jarring  note  into  the 
serene  harmony  of  this  passage,  and  it  may  be  noted  that  in  the 
synagogue  at  Nazareth  Jesus,  in  the  opening  of  His  ministry,  read 
those  verses  which  portray  tlie  character  of  His  own  message,  but 
omits  this  jarring  note  (Luke  iv.  18  f.).  The  '  day  of  vengeance*  is 
evidently  directed  against  the  children  of  the  mixed  marriages, 
the  heathen  schismatics  and  Samaritans,  towards  whom  the  invec- 
tive of  the  Trito-Isaiah  is  so  constantly  uttered;  cf.  Ivi.  9,  foil.,  lix. 
18  foil.,  Ixv,  11-15,  &c. 

*  What  is  called  a  lengthened  ov  PeaVal  formation,  Ewald,  §  157  c; 
Gesenius-Kautzsch,  Heb.  Gram.^^,  84 6,  rem.  36. 

^  Duhm,  who  severely  criticizes  this  view,  has  no  justification  for 
his  rendering  '  and  casting  off  chains  to  those  who  are  bound,' 
unless  the  text  be  altered  to  pns  (cf,  Nif.  in  li.  14)  or  nriB  in  place 
of  the  doubtful  PeaVal  form  which  stands  there.  The  LXX  render 
*  recovery  of  sight  to  the  blind,'  which  partly  supports  our  traditional 
text.     Probably  the  Greek  translators  read  in  their  text  npD  D^'^.^^^. 

U    2 


292  ISAIAH  01.  3,  4 

3  geance  of  our  God  ;  to  comfort  all  that  mourn ;  to 
appoint  unto  them  that  mourn  in  Zion,  to  give  unto 
them  a  garland  for  ashes,  the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning, 
the  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness  ;  that 
they  might  be  called  trees  of  righteousness,  the  planting 

4  of  the  Lord,  that  he  might  be  glorified.  And  they 
shall  build  the  old  wastes,  they  shall  raise  up  the  former 

3.  The  opening  clause  halts,  and  lacks  an  object  to  the  verb. 
It  seems,  moreover,  to  be  metrically  too  short.  There  appears, 
therefore,  to  be  some  ground  for  accepting  the  proposed  addition 
of  the  word  for  '  joy  '  {sdson)  after  the  verb  *  appoint '  (so  Houbi- 
gant  and  Lowth).  Duhm,  followed  by  Cheyne,  would  cancel  out 
the  entire  opening  clause  as  an  added  gloss.  Thus  we  should  read  : 
[verse  2]  *To  comfort  all  who  mourn — to  give  them  a  festal  turban 
instead  of  dust  (ashes).'  The  word  rendered  here  'festal  turban' 
(peer)  is  used  in  Hebrew  to  designate  the  ornamented  headgear 
of  a  priest  (Exod.  xxxix.  28  ;  Ezek.  xliv.  18),  of  a  bridegroom  (as 
below  in  verse  ro),  or  of  a  distinguished  lady  of  fashion  (Isa.  iii.  20). 
Verse  10  in  this  chapter  points  to  the  fact  that  the  writer  was 
thinking  of  a  bridegroom's  festal  turban.  There  is  an  alliterative 
play  of  words  in  the  original  between  this  word  for '  turban '  and  that 
for  Must,'  which  cannot  easily  be  reproduced  in  English.  Duhm 
reproduces  it  appropriately  in  German  by  '  Putz  statt  Schmutz.' 
Dust  was  cast  upon  the  head  or  men  wallowed  in  it  as  a  token  of 
mourning  (2  Sam.  xiii,  19  ;  Jer.  vi.  26)  : — 

*  The  oil  of  joy  in  place  of  mourning — a  vestment  of  praise 

instead  of  an  exhausted  spirit. 
And  they  shall  be  called  oaks  of  righteousness — Yahweh's 
plantation  that  He  may  glorify  Himself — 

is  the  more  exact  rendering  of  the  concluding  part  of  this  verse. 
The  '  oil  of  joy,'  or  the  oil  which  is  expressive  of  gladness,  is 
a  reference  to  the  Oriental  custom  of  anointing  the  person  with 
oil  on  festival  days  or  weddings  or  other  special  times  of  rejoicing, 
Amos  vi.  6 ;  Ps.  xxiii.  5,  xlv.  8 ;  Luke  vii.  46.  The  oaks  or 
terebinths  of  righteousness  are  expressive  not  so  much  of  luxuri- 
ance as  of  endurance  and  strength  symbolized  by  the  vivid 
metaphor  of  mountains  in  Ps.  xxxvi.  6(7  Heb.).  The  conception  of 
the  restored  and  revived  community  as  God's  plantation  seems  to 
have  reference  to  the  ideas  of  Ix.  21,  which  have  just  preceded. 

4.  These  ideas  appear  to  underlie  this  verse.  The  righteous 
people  who  inherit  the  land  shall  build  up  the  now  century-old 
ruins.     The  verse  which  follows  this  would  lead  us  to  conclude 


ISAIAH  61.  5-7  293 

desolations,  and  they  shall  repair  the  waste  cities,  the 
desolations  of  many  generations.  And  strangers  shall  5 
stand  and  feed  your  flocks,  and  aliens  shall  be  your 
plowmen  and  your  vinedressers.  But  ye  shall  be  named  6 
the  priests  of  the  Lord  :  men  shall  call  you  the  ministers 
of  our  God  :  ye  shall  eat  the  wealth  of  the  nations,  and 
in  their  glory  shall  ye  boast  yourselves.     For  your  shame  7 

that  the  actual  work  of  building  would  be  executed  by  foreigners 
pressed  into  the  service  in  accordance  with  Ix.  10. 

5.  The  word  rendered  plowmen  is  properly  a  more  general 
term,  and  signifies  *  tillers '  of  the  soil.  Stade,  in  his  Gesch.  des 
Volkes  Israel,  ii,  p.  86,  regards  verses  5  foil,  as  a  later  insertion 
*  calculated  to  lower  the  expectations  of  the  prophet  down  to  the 
level  of  the  later  carnal  ambitions  for  Israel's  supremacy  in  the 
Messianic  kingdom.'  Apart  from  the  development  of  Isaiah 
criticism  and  the  definite  assignment  of  chaps.  Ivi-lxvi  (Trito- 
Isaiah)  to  a  later  epoch,  Stade's  criticism  loses  all  point  when  it 
is  recognized  that  this  'lower  level  of  carnal  ambitions'  may  be 
found  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah  (chaps,  xl-lv)  itself  in  xHii.  3  f.,  xlv. 
14  f.,  xlix.  22  f. 

6.  As  contrasted  with  the  foreigners,  who  discharge  the  menial 
duties  of  manual  labour,  the  Jews  shall  have  priestly  offices 
assigned  to  them.  In  place  of  in  their  gflory  shall  ye  hoast 
yourselves,  R.  V.  marg.  renders  'to  their  glor}' shall  ye  succeed,' 
and  this  latter  interpretation  is  adopted  by  Duhm  ('  into  their 
glory  shall  ye  pass'),  who  here  follows  the  Jewish  commentators 
Saadia,  Rashi,  and  the  modern  expositors  Hitzig  and  Ewald,  as 
well  as  others '.  But  this  sense  appears  very  hazardous,  and  the 
reading  adopted  by  the  R.V.,  which  is  rendered  'shall  ye  boast 
yourselves^,'  is  preferable. 

7.  The  LXX  appear  to  have  had  a  very  difierent  text  before 

^  This  is  based  on  the  assumption  that  the  Hithpa'el  ^-irpinn  is 
derived  from  yiy  =  nia  as  the  form  TOn  =  TD^n  in  Jer.ii.  1  \,  meaning 
'  exchange  *  (with  2  of  the  object  for  which  the  exchange  is  made) ; 
hence  to  'change  '  in  general  sense,  '  pass  '  as  Ps.  xlvi.  3. 

^  llDNniji.  On  the  other  hand,  the  ingenious  suggestion  of 
Cheyne,  ll"=jnnn,  based  on  Prov.  xxv.  6  (cf.  Isa.  Ixiii.  i),  is  worthy  of 
consideration.  We  might  then  render,  '  Ye  shall  adorn  yourselves 
with  their  glory.'  LXX  davfiaadrjaeaOe  might  be  held  to  confirm 
this  since  Tinn  in  Lev.  xix.  15  is  rendered  by  $avixd(Tus. 


294  ISAIAH  61.  8,  9 

ye  shall  have  double ;  and  for  confusion  they  shall 
rejoice  in  their  portion  :  therefore  in  their  land  they  shall 
possess  double  :    everlasting   joy  shall   be   unto   them. 

8  For  I  the  Lord  love  judgement,  I  hate  robbery  with 
iniquity;  and  I  will  give  them  their  recompence  in 
truth,  and  I  will  make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  them. 

9  And  their  seed  shall  be  known  among  the  nations,  and 
their  offspring  among  the  peoples :    all  that  see  them 


them,  and  there  are  besides  many  variants.  These,  as  well  as 
internal  indications,  show  that  our  Hebrew  text  has  been 
seriously  corrupted.  The  general  sense  of  the  passage  is  fairly 
clear.  It  is  that  inasmuch  as  the  Jews  during  exile  and  subse- 
quently have  suffered  at  the  hands  of  strangers  double  that 
which  was  their  due  (cf.  Jer.  xvi.  i8),  they  shall  now  receive 
a  double  compensation  in  their  own  land.  On  the  whole,  Marti, 
who  adopts  one  of  Klostermann's  emendations,  gives  us  the  most 
probable  reconstruction  of  the  text\  which  may  be  rendered 
*  Because  their  shame  was  in  double  measure — and  contumely 
and  despite  (lit.  spitting)  were  their  portion.' 

8  expresses  the  moral  ground  of  Israel's  vindication  and  his 
double  recompense  for  former  ills.  In  order  to  give  increased 
weight  to  this  utterance  Yahweh  is  suddenly  introduced  as  the 
speaker.  This  alternation  between  Yahweh  and  the  prophetic 
speaker  is  not  infrequent  in  the  Trito-Isaiah.     Cf.  below,  Ixii.  6. 

The  word  'cJ/a//,  '  burnt  offering  '  (R.  V.  marg.  following  A.  V.), 
is  an  evident  misreading  of  the  text  adopted  by  the  Vulg.  as  well 
as  the  Jewish  expositors  Kimhi,  Rashi,  and  Ibn  Ezra.  The  LXX 
show  that  the  Hebrew  characters  should  be  read  'mvlah,  '  iniquity,' 
as  the  R.  V.  correctly  render  the  word.     Cf.  lix.  3. 

Verses  9,  ii  describe  the  high  place  and  moral  worth  of  the 
future  Israelite  community  among  the  nations  of  the  world, 
described  under  the  metaphor  of  a  seed  which  buds  forth  into 
luxuriant  life.  The  two  verses  form  an  evident  sequence  inter- 
rupted by  the  intrusion  of  verse  10,  which  forms  a  natural  con- 
clusion, not  so  much  of  this  chapter  as  of  the  following.  See 
below. 

9.  For  acknowledge  substitute  '  recognize.'  The  word  for 
offspringf,  which  again  meets  us  in  Ixv.  23,  is  a  favourite  expression 

Ci^bn  pSi  rv<f>y[  nj^rp  om'n  '3  nnn.       Here  p^i   is   merely    an 
echo  of  1.  6.     With  'everlasting  joy'  cf.  xxxv.  10  (li.  11). 


ISAIAH  61.  lo  29s 

shall  acknowledge  them,  that  they  are  the  seed  which  the 
Lord  hath  blessed. 

I   will  greatly  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  my  soul  shall  be  10 
joyful  in  my  God ;   for  he  hath  clothed  me  with  the 
garments  of  salvation,  he  hath  covered  me  with  the  robe 

of  the  Deutero-Isaiah,  xlii.  5,  xliv.  3.     It  is  doubtful  whether  it 
was  employed  before  the  exile  period. 

10.  This  verse,  with  its  distinct  metaphor  of  the  bride  and 
bridegroom,  evidently  has  a  place  apart  from  verses  9  and  11. 
Its  figurative  allusion  brings  it  into  close  relation  with  verses 
4  and  5  in  chap.  Ixii.  On  the  other  hand,  its  rhythmic  form  is 
not  adapted  to  that  of  the  short  poem,  verses  4-9,  in  the  following 
chapter  [kinaJi  metre).  Accordingly  we  should  prefer  to  place 
it  after  Ixii.  3,  or  at  the  close  of  chapter  Ixii,  instead  of  the  present 
one,  since  the  metaphor  appears  to  be  reminiscent  of  verses  4,  5, 
and  is  closely  connected  with  verse  3  in  that  chapter  (see  notes 
below). 

Render  our  Hebrew  text :  *  As  the  bridegroom  sets  (on  his 
head)  ^  the  tiara.'  Moreover,  the  Hebrew  word  for  robe  should 
properly  be  rendered  tunic.  On  the  metl  or  tunic  see  Hebrew 
Antiquiiies,  p.  47.  Both  text  and  rendering  are  far  from  certain. 
The  LXX  evidently  read  the  verbal  form  as  a  masc.  in  the 
second  clause  as  well  as  the  first  (viz.  ya'deh),  making  Yahweh 
the  subject  of  the  verb  in  both,  and  the  object  (unexpressed)  the 
first  pers.  sing.  pron.  clearly  indicated  in  the  beginning  of  the 
verse  : — 

*As  a  bridegroom  He  sets  a  tiara  (on  my  head) — and  as  a 
bride  He  arrays  me  with  jewels^.' 
To  this  text  we  give  the  preference.  The  speaker  is  obviously 
the  restored  Israel  or  the  glorified  Zion  of  the  following  chapter, 
and  not  the  prophetic  speaker  of  Ixi.  i.  The  structure  of  the 
whole  verse  is  thereby  made  homogeneous.  Duhm  correctly 
observes  that  in  the  Massoretic  text  the  two  parts  of  the  verse 
*  do  not  fit  specially  well  together.' 

^  The  R.  V.  (marg.)  '  decketh  as  a  priest '  is  based  on  the 
traditional  Hebrew  textj  which  can  hardly  be  accepted,  as  the  use  of 
the  verb  is  unprecedented.  LXX  fustify  the  reading  of  Bredenkamp 
and  Klostermann,  j«cA?7z,  which  we  have  adopted.  The  LXX  also 
render  '  tunic  of  joy  '  {sdson,  cf.  verse  3,  or  sitnhah,  in  place  of 
seddkdh).  Read  also  ^y^V',  with  Bredenkamp  and  Dillmann,  and 
render  by  the  present  *  he  covers  me  '  (not  '  covered  '). 

^  Reading  ni*  in  place  of  the  inappropriate  n^bD. 


296  ISAIAH  61.  n— 62.  3 

of  righteousness,  as  a  bridegroom  decketh  himself  with 
a  garland,  and  as  a  bride  adorneth  herself  with  her  jewels. 

II  For  as  the  earth  bringeth  forth  her  bud,  and  as  the 
garden  causeth  the  things  that  are  sown  in  it  to  spring 
forth;  so  the  Lord  God  will  cause  righteousness  and 
praise  to  spring  forth  before  all  the  nations. 

62      For  Zion's  sake  will  I  not  hold  my  peace,  and  for 

Jerusalem's  sake  I  will  not  rest,  until  her  righteousness 

go  forth  as  brightness,  and  her  salvation  as  a  lamp  that 

2  burneth.     And  the  nations  shall  see  thy  righteousness, 

and   all  kings  thy  glory  :    and  thou  shalt  be  called  by 


11.  The  growth  of  this  fair  and  luxuriant  seed  of  Israel,  to 
which  verse  g  refers,  is  not  one  of  external  splendour  only,  but  of 
internal  and  moral  growth  in  righteousness.  We  seem  to  hear 
in  this  verse  the  welcome  echo  of  Jer.  xxxi.  31  foil. 

Chap.  Ixii  is  obviously  connected  by  its  first  three  verses 
closely  with  the  preceding.  The  prophet  will  not  keep  silence 
till  the  day  of  Jerusalem's  glory  arrives. 

1.  It  has  been  assumed  from  early  times  (Targ.,  Ibn  'Ezra,  and 
Kimhi),  and  by  many  modern  expositors,  such  as  Delitzsch  and 
Orelli,  that  Yahweh  is  here  the  speaker,  since  we  read  of  God's 
silence  and  rest  in  xlii.  14,  Ivii.  11,  Ixiv.  ii,  Ixv.  6.  But  this 
testimony  is  far  from  decisive  ;  and  the  assumption  that  Yahweh 
is  the  speaker  introduces  great  confusion  into  the  passage,  since 
he  is  spoken  of  repeatedly  in  the  third  person  (verses  2,  3,  4,  5, 
6,  8,  and  9).  The  passage  only  becomes  intelligible  when  we 
assume  that  here,  as  in  Ixi.  i,  the  speaker  is  some  prophet  and  he 
declares  that  he  will  not  cease  his  exhortations  to  his  fellow 
countrymen  and  his  intercessions  with  Yahweh  (cf.  verses 
6,  7  below  and  Luke  xi.  5-10)  till  Zion's  righteousness,  i.  e. 
the  victorious  vindication  of  his  right  (cf,  xli.  2,  26,  xlv.  13 
and  notes),  is  made  manifest.  For  lamp  substitute  '  torch.' 
Here  the  conception  of  'right'  (rendered  'righteousness' 
in  R.  V.)  involves  the  idea  of  the  triumphant  vindication  of 
'  right '  (see  Introduction  to  Deutero-Isaiah,  p.  37).  This  is 
clearly  shown  in  the  parallel  clause,  where  the  word  for  'salva- 
tion' may  be  more  appropriately  rendered  '  victor3^' 

2.  Zion  is  here  addressed.  Her  coming  glory  is  to  be  made 
visible  to  all  the  foreign  nations  and  kings,  and  in  consequence 
she  is  to  be  greeted  with  a  new  name  which  Yahweh  will  bestow. 


ISAIAH  62.  3,  4  297 

a  new  name,  which  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  shall  name. 
Thou  shall  also  be  a  crown  of  beauty  in  the  hand  of  3 
the  Lord,  and  a  royal  diadem  in  the  hand  of  thy  God. 
Thou  shalt  no  more  be  termed  Forsaken ;   neither  shall  4 
thy  land  any  more  be  termed  Desolate  :  but  thou  shalt  be 
called  Hephzi-bah,  and  thy  land  Beulah  :  for  the  Lord 


We  have  been  already  made  familiar  with  this  conception  of 
special  names  bestowed  on  cities,  walls,  or  gates,  Ix.  14,  18  (with 
note).  Cf.  also  Jer.  iii.  17,  xxxiii.  16  ;  Ezek.  xlviii.  35,  and  also 
Rev.  ii.  17.  What  this  new  name  is  to  be  is  not  definitely  said. 
From  verse  3  we  might  infer  that  this  brief  poem  (verses  1-3),  if 
continued,  would  have  contained  the  name  '  Yahweh's  crown.' 

3.  The  idea  of  this  verse  may  have  been  borrowed  from  the 
beautiful  utterance  of  Isaiah  respecting  Samaria  (xxviii.  i). 
Jerusalem,  like  Samaria,  was  a  natural  fortress,  and  the  walls 
which  crowned  the  hill  suggested  the  figure  of  a  crown.  The 
tutelary  deities  of  foreign  towns  were  frequently  represented  as 
wearing  the  crown  upon  the  head  consisting  of  city  walls.  Here 
the  crown  is  placed  in  Yahweh's  hand.  If  we  connect  this  with 
Ixi.  10,  in  the  form  in  which  it  is  preserved  in  the  LXX,  the  motive 
appears  fairly  evident.  The  'bridegroom  '  is  to  be  crowned  by 
Yahweh  with  the  '  tiara  of  proud  towers,'  a  prophecy  of  the 
coming  achievement  of  Yahweh's  servant  Nehemiah.  The  entire 
conception  was  probably  suggested  in  part  by  the  Deutero- 
Isaianic  passages  liv.  6,  11,  12. 

Verses  4-9.  The  preceding  short  poem  is  broken  off  and 
succeeded  by  another  which  is  in  the  familiar  long  lines  of  the 
kinah  or  elegiac  measure  consisting  of  three  strophes  or  stanzas 
of  five  lines  each  (or  two  verses  each  of  our  Hebrew  text).  The 
theme  is  a  variation  on  the  preceding  verses,  but  unlike  them  it 
draws  a  contrast  between  the  past  and  the  present  of  Jerusalem. 
Deutero-Isaianic  motives  appear  here,  as  in  the  rest  of  this 
chapter.  In  this  poem  we  clearly  discern  the  influence  of  liv. 
4-8  ;   cf  xHx.  14-16. 

4.  Duhm  is  fully  justified  in  removing  the  useless  repetition  of 
the  phrase  any  more  Ibe  termed  added  by  a  gloss-writer  to  the 
second  portion  of  the  opening  line.  By  this  removal  the  elegiac 
metre  is  restored  :— 

'Thou  shalt  no  more  be  called    "  forsaken  "—nor  thy  land 
•'  desolate.''  ' 

The  R.  V.  appropriately  substitutes  the  meanings  of  the  proper 
names.    Hephsibah,  *  my  delight  is  in  her,'  and  Bfulah^  '  married.' 


298  ISAIAH  62.  5-7 

5  delighteth  in  thee,  and  thy  land  shall  be  married.  For 
as  a  young  man  marrieth  a  virgin,  so  shall  thy  sons  marry 
thee  :  and  as  the  bridegroom  rejoiceth  over  the  bride, 
so  shall  thy  God  rejoice  over  thee. 

6  I  have  set  watchmen  upon  thy  walls,  O  Jerusalem  ; 
they  shall  never  hold  their  peace  day  nor  night :    ye  that 

7  are  the  Lord's  remembrancers,  take  ye  no  rest,  and  give 
him  no  rest,  till  he  establish,  and  till  he  make  Jerusalem 

The  relation  of  Yahweh  as  husband  to  the  land  and  its  people, 
familiar  to  students  of  the  O.  T.  (cf.  especially  Hosea  i-iii  and 
Ezek.  xvi),  underlies  this  passage. 

5.  It  is  quite  evident  that  the  Hebrew  text  and  its  equivalent 
in  our  rendering  is  due  to  a  corrupted  text  which  destroys  both 
sense  and  parallehsm.  Accordingly  we  follow  Lowth  and  Koppe 
in  reading : — 

'  For    as    a   young    man    weds    a    virgin — so    thy    Builder ' 

weds  thee  ; 
And  as  bridegroom's  joy  over   bride — so   thy  God  rejoices 
over  thee,' 

The  original  text  may  have  influenced  Ps.  cxlvii.  2.  The  con- 
ception of  Yahweh  as  builder  of  Jerusalem  refers  to  the  com- 
munity as  well  as  the  city  walls;  cf.  Gen.  xvi.  2  (Heb,  and  R.V. 
marg.).  The  ideas  of  the  verse  are  Deutero-Isaianic  ;  cf.  1.  i,  Hi. 
8,  and  liv.  4  and  notes. 

6-7.  The  second  strophe  (verses  6-7)  begins  with  an  utterance 
of  Yahweh  which  ends  with  the  words  '  day  nor  night.'  This  in- 
troduction of  Yahweh  as  spokesman  without  any  preliminary  words 
is  characteristic  of  the  Trito-Isaiah  ;  cf.  above  Ixi,  8.  Here  the 
watchmen  whom  Yahweh  appoints  are  not  prophets  but  celestial 
ministers  who  make  it  their  duty  to  be  '  remembrancers '  of  the 
Heavenly  Monarch.  This  office  of'  remembrancer'  existed  in  the 
Hebrew  court  (cf.  2  Kings  xviii.  iB,  2  Chron.  xxxiv.  8)  and  also 
in  the  court  of  Persian  kings.  These  watchmen  or  remembrancers 
are  to  be  persistent  in  reminding  Yahweh  of  His  own  promises, 
an  evident  allusion  to  the  earlier  utterances  of  the  Deutero- Isaiah 
(xhv.  26,  28,  xlix.  16,  cf.  Zech.  i.  16).     For  *  iipoji  thy  walls  '  a  more 


^  Heading  ^33  "1!?^?';  vvliich  is  in  reality  a  restoration  of  punctuation 
rather  than  text.  The  corruption  must  have  entered  into  the  Hebrew 
text  fairly  early,  for  it  underlies  the  text  of  the  LXX.     Cf.  xlix.  17. 


ISAIAH  62.  8,  9  299 

a  praise  in  the  earth.     The  Lord  hath  sworn  by  his  8 
right  hand,  and  by  the  arm  of  his  strength,  Surely  I  will 
no  more  give  thy  corn  to  be  meat  for  thine  enemies ; 
and  strangers  shall  not  drink  thy  wine,  for  the  which 
thou  hast  laboured :  but  they  that  have  garnered  it  shall  9 

correct  rendering  would  be  *  of £f  thy  walls.'  The  preposition  is 
connected  with  tlie  verbal  form  (participle)  rendered  •  watchmen  '  ; 
cf.  in  original  Hebrew  i  Sam.  xxvi.  16 ;  Prov.  vi.  22 ;  Job  xiv.  16 
(*  watch '  over).  The  walls  were  then,  as  we  know,  in  a  ruinous 
condition  (Neh.  i.  3,  ii.  3). 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  address  is  here  made,  in  the  con- 
cluding line  of  verse  6,  to  the  angelic  ministers  of  the  heavenly  court 
by  the  prophetic  speaker  (cf.  Ixi.  i).  On  these  angelic  members  of 
the  celestial  retinue  see  xl.  3  and  note.  This  is  of  course  no  more 
than  the  conception  of  Yahweh's  martial  retinue  implied  in  the 
old  Hebrew  designation  Sehdoth  (cf.  Isa.  i.  9  and  note) ;  see  i  Kings 
xxii.  19  foil.  Probably  in  the  exile,  and  certainly  in  the  post- 
exilian  period  under  Persian  influence,  angelology  assumed  a 
highly  developed  form  in  Jewish  belief. 

Duhm  remarks  with  truth  that  whereas  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah 
Yahweh  is  the  eager  and  enthusiastic  agent  of  Israel's  deliverance, 
and  Israel  is  backward  or  at  least  indifferent,  in  the  Trito-Isaiah 
the  converse  is  the  case,  for  Yahweh's  attitude  towards  Israel  is  one 
of  reserve. 

8.  But  it  cannot  be  described  as  one  of  indifference,  for  He  has 
sworn  by  His  mighty  arm  to  assist  Israel  against  his  foes.  The 
latter  are  no  longer  to  live  on  the  produce  of  the  country,  the  corn 
and  wine,  but  the  Jewish  cultivators  of  the  land  shall  enjoy  the 
produce  of  their  toil.  This  verse  clearly  presupposes  the  residence 
of  the  Jew  not  in  the  Babylonian  land  of  exile,  but  in  his  Pales- 
tinian home,  which  becomes  the  prey  of  the  invader  (cf.  i.  7).  Who 
are  the  foes  ?  Hardly  the  Persians,  for  the  attitude  neither  of  the 
prophets  of  Yahweh  (Deutero-  and  Trito-Isaiah)  nor  of  Nehemiah 
was  ever  hostile  to  the  Persian  power,  nor  have  we  any  evidence 
that  Persia  oppressed  Israel  at  this  period.  There  is  more  proba- 
bility in  the  supposition  that  the  enemies  and  strangers 
(foreigners)  refer  to  the  hostile  and  largely  foreign  Samaritan 
population  (cf.  Ixvi.  5  and  note  ;  compare  the  closely  analogous 
passage  to  this  Ixv.  22).  More  probable  still  is  the  hypothesis 
that  the  Edomites  are  here  referred  to  whose  invasion  of  Judaea 
since  597  b.  c.  was  a  bitter  memory  to  the  Jew  (see  notes  on  Isa. 
xxxiv,  vol.  i,  p.  344).  Mai.  i.  2-5  affords  a  strong  presumption  in 
favour  of  this  view. 

9.  The  same  conception  developed.     The  produce  of  the  field 


30.0  ISAIAH  62.  10,  II 

eat  it,  and  praise  the  Lord  ;  and  they  that  have  gathered 
it  shall  drink  it  in  the  courts  of  my  sanctuary. 

10  Go  through,  go  through  the  gates  ;  prepare  ye  the  way 
of  the  people ;    cast  up,  cast  up  the  high  way ;  gather 

11  out  the  stones;  lift  up  an  ensign  for  the  peoples.  Behold, 
the  Lord  hath  proclaimed  unto  the  end  of  the  earth, 
Say  ye  to  the  daughter  of  Zion,  Behold,  thy  salvation 
cometh  ;  behold,  his  reward  is  with  him,  and  his  recom- 


is  offered  in  the  sanctuary  and  eaten  in  its  precincts,  and  not  in 
the  home  of  the  worshipper,  in  accordance  with  Deut.  xii.  17,  18. 
This  clearly  shows  that  residence  in  the  Palestinian  homeland, 
where  the  temple  was  erected,  is  presupposed  in  this  chapter. 

10.  Go  through  the  gates.  According  to  Dillmann  the  gates 
of  Babylon  are  meant,  and  the  prophetic  words  are  addressed  to 
the  exiles  who  were  still  living  in  Babylonia.  The  subsequent 
clauses  then  follow  in  natural  order.  A  highway  is  cast  up  for 
the  caravan  of  exiles  who  have  passed  out  of  Babylon  to  cross 
over  to  the  homeland. 

On  the  other  hand,  this  involves  a  sudden  change  of  the  inise  en 
scene  from  Jerusalem  to  Babylonia,  which  would  be  more  probable 
in  the  Deutero-Isaiah  than  under  the  presuppositions  of  this 
chapter,  where  the  scene  is  definitely  laid  in  Jerusalem  and  the 
homeland.  In  the  preceding  verse  reference  is  definitely  made 
to  the  temple  in  Jerusalem.  Accordingly  most  recent  critics  assume 
that  the  gates  are  those  of  the  Jerusalem  temple  into  which  the 
returning  exiles  are  to  enter.  This,  however,  involves  us  in  a 
very  awkward  inversion  of  the  actual  order  of  ideas.  For  the 
casting  up  of  the  highway  for  the  exiles  should  mturaUy  precede 
and  not  follow  the  entrance  within  the  temple-gates.  On  these 
grounds  we  regard  the  opinion  of  Dillmann  as  the  more  probable, 
and  this  view  is  confirmed  by  the  following  considerations. 
(a)  Though  verses  10  foil,  are  also  of  the  same  Kinah  or  elegiac 
metre  as  verses  4-9,  they  are  no  longer  arranged  in  five-lined 
strophes.  (6)  From  the  singular  fern,  of  the  address  to  Zion  we 
pass  to  the  masc.  plur.  of  the  address  to  the  Jewish  people. 
(c)  The  writer  is  evidently  thinking  of  the  further  bands  of  exiles 
who  were  to  reinforce  their  predecessors  of  earlier  post-exilian 
times,  and  who,  as  we  learn  from  Ezra  viii,  entered  Jerusalem 
in  the  days  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah.  This  verse  is  most  obviously 
based  on  Deutero-Isaianic  phrases  ;  cf.  xl.  3,  xlix.  22.  No  reference, 
however,  is  made  to  the  desert.  This  trait  is  omitted  as  in 
Ivii.   14. 


ISAIAH  62.  .2—63.  i  301 

pence  before  him.     And  they  shall  call  them  The  holy  12 
people,  The  redeemed  of  the  Lord  :    and  thou  shalt  be 
called  Sought  out^  A  city  not  forsaken. 

Who  is  this  that  cometh  from  Edom,  with  dyed  gar-  63 

12.  We  have  once  more  new  names  bestowed  on  Zion,  evidently 
suggested  by  the  closely  analogous  names  of  Hos.  ii.  i  (3  Heb.) ; 
cf.  i.  6,  9.  Note  that  they  are  distinct  from  the  new  ones  of  verse 
4  above,  being  the  reverse  of  the  old  (cf.  Hos.  i.  6-9,  ii.  19-22). 

Chapter  LXIII. 

Verses  1-6  may  be  regarded  as  a  dramatic  poem  denouncing 
a  Divine  judgment  of  vengeance  on  Edom.  The  writer,  in  a  highly 
pictorial  description,  represents  Yahweh  as  a  warrior  dripping 
with  blood  as  He  arrives  from  the  battle-fields  of  Edom,  and 
declaring  that  He  alone,  without  any  other  to  aid  Him,  has  been 
engaged  in  a  day  of  vengeance,  and  has  trodden  down  and 
mangled  his  foes  in  slaughter,  since  it  is  the  year  of  deliverance 
for  His  people. 

There  are  interesting  points  of  contact  between  this  section  and 
other  portions  of  the  Trito-Isaiah  to  which  Cheyne  in  his 
Introduction  to  Isaiah,  p.  348,  calls  attention.  Of  these  the  most 
remarkable  is  verse  5  with  its  close  verbal  parallel  in  lix.  16. 
Moreover,  '■  the  day  of  vengeance'  in  verse  4  is  repeated  in  xxxiv. 
8.  In  chapter  xxxiv,  which  is  a  denunciation  of  doom  against 
Edom,  we  have  a  striking  analogy  to  the  present  chapter  (see 
vol.  i,  p.  341  f.).  Lastly,  the  same  expression  occurs  in  Ixi.  2  (cf. 
Ixii.  8  and  note). 

We  are  so  imperfectly  informed  respecting  the  external  relations 
of  Judah  during  this  period  to  the  nations  that  surrounded 
Palestine,  and  our  knowledge  respecting  Edom  in  particular  is  so 
scanty,  that  it  is  impossible  to  make  any  definite  assertion 
respecting  the  date  of  this  oracle.  The  following  considerations, 
however,  may  guide  us  to  a  conclusion  : — (a)  Isa.  xxxiv  is  more 
elaborate  in  character  and  style  than  the  present  brief  dramatic 
poem,  and  its  apocalyptic  features  (note  especially  xxxiv.  3-10 
and  the  reference  to  the  '  book  of  Yahweh '  in  verse  16)  point  to 
some  later  date  ;  and  it  is  therefore  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
we  have  in  verse  8,  and  also  in  verse  2  (where  God's  wrath  is 
directed  against  all  nations,  cf.  Ixiii.  6),  traits  that  are  borrowed 
from  this  dramatic  poem.  (Jb)  It  is  impossible  to  dissociate  this 
poem  from  Mai.  i.  2-5.  In  the  latter  Edom  is  described  as 
recovering  from  his  past  humiliations  and  re-erecting  his  kingdom, 
which  God  threatens  with  destruction.  This  recovery  of  Edomite 
power  we    might   connect,  as    Enno    Littmann    suggests    in   his 


302  ISAIAH  63.  i 

ments  from  Bozrah  ?   this  that  is  glorious  in  his  apparel, 

useful  monograph^,  with  an  aggressive  movement  into  the  Negebh, 
which  would  be  sure  to  call  forth  the  wrath  of  the  Jew  and  his 
thirst  for  vengeance  so  powerfully  reflected  in  this  poem.  Duhm, 
it  is  true,  holds  that  at  this  time  only  the  Samaritan  community 
can  be  regarded  as  the  real  enemies  of  Yahweh,  and  that  the 
Edomites  in  their  humiliated  and  chastised  condition  can  hardly 
be  taken  into  account.  But  this  is  an  extreme  and  very  one-sided 
conclusion  to  derive  from  Mai.  i.  2-5,  due  in  large  measure  to  the 
views  which  Duhm  has  adopted  from  Lagarde  and  which  will  be 
detailed  below.  Littmann  ingeniously  suggests  that  the  ally  whom 
Yahweh  seeks  against  Edom  (see  verse  5)  is  a  covert  allusion  to 
Artaxerxes.  '  Formerly  Yahweh  had  found  a  helper  in  Cyrus, 
but  no  such  help  was  to  be  found  in  the  present  king  of  Persia.' 
Whether  the  overthrow  of  the  Edomites,  to  which  this  short  poem 
refers,  is  to  be  connected  with  the  war  of  the  Nabataeans  with 
Edom  about  460  b.  c,  cannot  be  confidently  asserted.  Consequently 
we  cannot  assign  to  this  poem  the  date  458  with  the  same 
confidence  as  Littmann  in  his  monograph.  It  seems,  however,  to 
be  fairly  probable  that  the  writer  of  lix.  15  foil. ,  i.  e.  the  Trito-Isaiah, 
was  also  the  writer  of  this  oracle. 

Lagarde  has  raised  an  entirely  new  issue  by  his  proposed 
emendations  which  Duhm  and  Marti  have  adopted.  These 
textual  alterations  have  the  effect  of  ehminating  all  reference  to 
Edom  from  the  passage.  It  becomes  after  this  literary  manipula- 
tion a  denunciation  of  Divine  vengeance  against  the  enemies  of 
Israel  in  general.  But  against  this  view  there  are  two,  if  not 
more,  very  serious  objections  : — {a)  The  parallel  passage,  Isa. 
xxxiv,  dealing  with  Edom  clearly  suggests  by  its  close  analogy 
an  intimate  connexion  with  the  present  poem.  Cheyne's  argu- 
ment, therefore,  in  his  Introduction  has  some  weight  that  if 
Duhm  admits  the  manipulation  of  the  text  in  this  passage 
whereby  Edom  is  eliminated,  a  corresponding  manipulation  should 
be  effected  in  chap,  xxxiv.  This,  however,  Duhm  does  not 
venture  to  attempt,  {b)  Both  Gressmann  and  Littmann  have 
pointed  out  that  we  have  the  characteristic  punning  of  prophecy 
in  the  ^\a.y o[ oddm,  'red,'  and  Edom,  which  also  meets  us  in  the 
patriarchal  story  (Gen.  xxv.  30).  We  should  also  have  it  in 
Bosrah,  one  of  the  towns  of  Edom,  and  baser,  '  grape-gatherer,' 
if  the  latter  were  read  in  place  of  the  former.  Consequently, 
if  we  banish  Edom  from  the  text,  these  characteristic  alliterations 
vanish  likewise.  All  who  are  acquainted  with  Hebrew  literature 
will  hold  that  this  consideration  does  not  tend  to  heighten  the 
probability  of  the  view  held  by  Duhm  and  Marti  respecting  this 

*   Ueber  die  Abfassttngszeit  des  Tritojesaia,  p.  35. 


ISAIAH  63.  2  303 

marching  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength  ?  I  that  speak 
in  righteousness,  mighty  to  save.     Wherefore  art  thou  2 
red  in  thine  apparel,  and  thy  garments  hke  him  that 


passage,  (c)  The  historic  groundwork  of  such  a  vengeance  on 
Edom  is  patent  to  any  student  of  O.T.  literature  from  the  Book 
of  Genesis  onwards  ;  see  the  introductory  notes  to  chap,  xxxiv. 

1.  Here,  as  Cheyne  remarks,  we  have  a  dramatic  scene,  as  in 
Ps.  xxiv.  7-10.  The  chorus  sees  a  mighty  heroic  warrior-form 
marching  from  Bosrah  (cf.  xxxiv.  6  foil.).  There  is  a  dialogue 
between  the  chorus-leader  and  Yahvveh  ^  Duhm  and  Marti 
follow  Lagarde's  emendation  and  render  the  opening  line  of  the 
verse : — 

*  Who  is  this  that  cometh  stained  red— glowing  deeper  red 
in  garments  than  a  grape-gatherer  ^' 

The  parallelism  of  the  opening  line  is  not  certainly  improved 
by  this  process.  Nor  is  the  emended  line  true  to  fact  or  to  the 
images  suggested  by  the  rest  of  the  poem.  For  it  is  not  so  much 
the  grape-gatherer  who  becomes  stained  with  the  grape-juice  as 
the  treader  of  grapes.  Moreover,  the  rest  of  the  poem  speaks 
of  the  treader  of  grapes  {dorech)  and  not  the  grape-gatherer 
{boser).     Cf.  verses  3  and  6. 

the  word  marcMngr  (or  more  precisely  'stepping')  is  the 
rendering  of  the  Hebrew  word  so'ed  substituted  for  the  word 
so  eh  of  our  Hebrew  traditional  text,  i.  e.  'bending'  or  ^bent' 
(in  Isa.  li.  14,  employed  of  an  exile  bent  under  the  weight  of 
chains),  obviously  unsuitable  for  a  victorious  warrior.  The 
Vulgate  gradiens  sustains  the  proposed  emendation  ^ 

2.  Our  Massoretic  text  evidently  implies  adorn  as  a  subst. 
= '  redness.'  But  it  is  extremely  doubtful  whether  the  word  is 
ever  used  in  Hebrew  as  anything  else  than  an  adjective.  Accord- 
ingly, we  prefer  to  render  (with  LXX) : — 

*  This  is  exhibited  in  the  rendering  appended  below. 

^  Instead  of  DiiJ«?p  'from  Edom/  Lagarde,  Duhm,  and  Marti 
readD^j^p,  used  in  Nah.  ii.  4,  meaning  ^stained  red.'  As  Edom  is 
thus  eliminated  in  one  clause,  it  is  necessary  to  operate  on  Bosrah  in 
the  other.  Hence  the  proposed  change  to  l^^n,  '  than  a  grape- 
gatherer.'  Bosrah  (Bozrah)  was  the  ancient  capital  of  Edom,  the 
modern  Busair'e  (see  Badeker,  Paldstina^,  p.  153).  Wetzstein  in 
Delitzsch's  Isaiah  ^,  p.  704,  identifies  it  with  Petra. 

^  It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  LXX  omit  the  word  in  question  in 
their  rendering. 


304  ISAIAH  62.  3-5 

3  treadeth  in  the  winefat  ?  I  have  trodden  the  winepress 
alone ;  and  of  the  peoples  there  was  no  man  with  me : 
yea,  I  trod  them  in  mine  anger,  and  trampled  them  in 
my  fury  ;  and  their  lifeblood  is  sprinkled  upon  my  gar- 

4  ments,  and  I  have  stained  all  my  raiment.  For  the  day 
of  vengeance  was   in  mine  heart,  and  the  year  of  my 

5  redeemed  is  come.     And  I  looked,  and  there  was  none 

'  Wherefore  is  thine  apparel  ^    red— and  thy  garments  as  of 
one  that  treads  the  wine-press  ? ' 
Respecting  the  wine-press,  see  note  on  Isa.  v.  2.     Winefat  in 
R.  V.  should  be  '  wine-press.' 

3.  The  last  line  should  be  rendered  : — 

'  And  their  juice  besprinkled  my  garments — and  all  my 
raiment  I  sullied.' 

The  word  for  'juice,'  nesah,  occurs  here  only.  The  translation 
'  life-blood'  is  hardly  warranted,  though  that  is  the  thing  symbol- 
ized. The  LXX  in  their  rendering  here  diverge  considerably 
from  our  traditional  Hebrew  text,  probably  with  the  design  of 
avoiding  the  strong  anthropomorphisms. 

Verses  4-6.  The  overthrow  of  Edom  is  regarded  as  only  the 
beginning  of  Yahweh's  day  of  vengeance  on  the  nations — none 
of  whom  have  come  to  aid  in  Edom's  overthrow.  Persia  is 
included,  though  the  name  is  not  mentioned.     Cf.  xxxiv.  2. 

4.  The  rendering  '  redemption  '  (so  LXX)  should  be  substituted 
for  redeemed.  While  the  latter  is  possible  and  is  adopted  by 
Duhm,  the  former,  being  an  abstract,  stands  in  closer  parallelism 
with  the  corresponding  abstract  '  vengeance '  of  the  preceding 
clause^.  Here  we  note  that  the  conception  of  redemption  has 
hardened  in  the  interval  since  the  days  of  the  Deutero- Isaiah, 
when  it  signified  the  deliverance  from  exile.  Here  the  reference 
is  to  the  victory  whereby  the  Palestinian  Jews  were  to  achieve 
their  conquest  as  well  as  compensation  for  former  injuries  over 
their  neighbouring  foes.  For  was  (in  my  heart)  substitute  *is' 
with  R.  V.  margin.  The  prophet  means  that  Yahweh  had  in  His 
mind  foreordained  this  special  time  of  retribution  on  Edom  and 
other  races.     Cf.  the  close  parallel  in  xxxiv.  8. 

5.  The  emphatic  words  in  this  verse  are  best  exhibited  by  the 

'  The  preposition  in  I'^i^bb  should  be  deleted  as  due  to  dittography. 

"^  Abstracts  in  Hebrew  (as  'life,'  'darkness,'  &c.)  are  frequently 
expressed  by  plural  forms.  See  Gesenius-Kautzsch,  Heb.  Gram.  , 
§  124.  I. 


ISAIAH  63.  6,  7  305; 

to  help  ;   and  I  wondered  that  there  was  none  to  uphold  : 
therefore  mine  own  arm  brought  salvation  unto  me ;  and 
my  fury,  it  upheld  me.     And  I  trod  down  the  peoples  6 
in  mine  anger,  and  made  them  drunk  in  my  fury,  and 
I  poured  out  their  lifeblood  on  the  earth. 

[I  will  make  mention  of  the  lovingkindnesses  of  the  7 

rendering  :  '  But  'twas  my  arm  that  helped  me  and  my  wrath 
that  sustained  me.' 

6.  This  repetition  of  idea  as  well  as  phraseology  in  verse  3  is 
somewhat  characteristic  of  the  Trito-Isaiah  ;  cf.  Ix.  19,  20,  Ixii. 
4.  For  made  them  drunk  substitute  R.  V.  marg. ,  '  brake  them 
in  pieces  ^' 

The  dramatic  character  of  this  brief  poem  is  best  shown  by  its 
reproduction  in  the  following  dialogue  form  : — 

Chorus.    <Who    is    this    that    cometh    from    Edom— stained 

glowing  red  from  Bozrah, 
This   one   stately   in   his   apparel — stepping   in   the 

fulness  of  his  might  ? ' 
Yahweh.    * ' Tis  I  who  pronounce  in  the  cause  of  right — mighty 

to  help.' 
Chorus.    '  Wherefore  is  thine  apparel  red — and  thy  garments 

as  of  one  that  treads  the  wine-press  ? ' 
Yahweh.    *  The  wine-press  have  I  trodden  alone — and  of  the 

nations  no  one  was  with  me. 
So  I  trod  them  in  my  wrath,  and  trampled  them  in 

my  hot  anger.  .   .' 

(The  utterance  of  Yahweh  continues  to  the  end  of 
verse  6,  which  closes  with  the  incomplete  line : 

*  And  I  spilled  their  juice  on  the  ground  .  .  .') 

Chapter  LXIII.  7— LXIV  12  (11  Heb.). 

This  passage  is  of  a  very  different  character  from  the  preceding. 
It  is  a  sustained  appeal  to  Yahweh  on  the  people's  behalf  to  fulfil 
His  earlier  promises  of  love  to  Israel.  Cheyne  (In f rod.  to  Isaiah, 
p.  349)  calls  it  '  a  liturgical  thanksgiving,  confession  of  sin  and 
supplication.'  It  commences  by  commemorating  God's  deeds  of 
mercy  and  love  to  His  people  shown  in  His  personal  sympathy 
and  preserving  care  (verses  7-9).    They  rebelled,  however,  against 

^  The  slight  variant  of  Targ.  and  some  MSS.  om'«;,  'and  I  broke 
them  in  pieces/  instead  of  '  1  made  them  drunk '  (see  R.  V.  marg.), 
sustains  the  parallelism  and  is  advocated  by  nearly  all  commentators. 

X 


3o6  ISAIAH  63.  7 

Lord,  and  the  praises  of  the  Lord,  according  to  all  that 
the  Lord  hath  bestowed  on  us ;  and  the  great  goodness 

Him,  and  this  conduct  provoked  a  change  in  God's  demeanour  to  His 
people,  which  now  became  one  of  hostility.  This  change,  however, 
in  God's  attitude  brought  back  to  the  recollection  of  His  people  the 
great  events  of  Israels  deliverance  from  Egypt  under  Moses  and 
the  crossing  of  the  Red  Sea  (10-14).  Commemoration  of  God's 
dealings  in  the  past  passes  into  entreaty  that  He  would  look  down 
in  compassion  on  Israel's  present  state,  when  the  sanctuary  has 
been  trodden  down  by  their  adversaries  (15-19).  There  succeeds 
an  agonized  cry  that  God  would  intervene  with  His  mighty  power 
as  He  did  in  the  past  (Ixiv.  1-5).  A  confession  of  sin,  unclean- 
ness,  and  weakness  follows  as  well  as  an  acknowledgment  of  God's 
supremacy  and  an  appeal  to  stay  His  wrath  in  view  of  the  abject 
condition  of  His  people.  Jerusalem  and  its  temple  are  in  a  state  of 
desolation  (cf.  Ixiii.  18  with  Ixiv.  10,  11  (9,  10  Heb.)). 

This  section  is  characterized  by  considerable  vividness  and 
power,  but  it  is  encumbered  with  serious  problems  textual  and 
critical  as  well  as  metric.  With  reference  to  metre  Budde  in 
ZATJV,,  vol.  xi  (1891),  p.  241  foil.,  had  pointed  out  that  Ixiii.  7-12 
(first  part)  revealed  the  familiar  elegiac  (Kinah)  measure,  though 
omissions  such  as  '  toward  the  house  of  Israel '  in  verse  7  are 
necessary  in  order  to  maintain  the  due  metrical  length.  Some  of 
these  modifications  are  supported  by  the  LXX.  But  when  Duhm, 
who  adopts  Budde's  view,  extends  this  metre  to  the  close  of  verse 
16  such  drastic  modifications  (including  the  addition  of  two  half- 
lines)  are  adopted  that  Kittel  is  fully  justified  in  regarding  the 
attempt  as  very  questionable.  Marti  confesses  that  it  is  impos- 
sible to  make  Ixiii.  15  foil,  conform  to  the  same  verse-measure  as  the 
preceding  verses  Ixiii.  7-14.  Duhm,  on  the  basis  of  metre,  divides 
the  entire  section  into  two  parts,  viz.  Ixiii.  7-16  of  five  strophes 
in  the  elegiac  measure  of  five  long  lines  each  and  Ixiii.  17—  Ixiv.  12. 
But  Ixiii.  17 — Ixiv.  12  (i  i  Heb.)  are  in  a  quite  different  measure,  con- 
sisting of  the  ordinary  double  lines,  yet  closely  connected  with  the 
preceding  part  and  evidently  contemplating  the  same  set  of  unto- 
ward circumstances.  This  is  clearly  seen  when  we  compare  the 
retrospective  glance  in  Ixiii.  11-14  with  Ixiv.  3,  4  (2,  3  Heb.),  and 
Ixiii.  8  with  Ixiv.  8  (7  Heb.)  as  well  as  Ixiii.  10  with  Ixiv.  6  (5  Heb.). 
In  both  parts  the  tone  of  feeling  towards  the  past  and  the  present 
is  the  same. 

It  is  the  historic  situation  revealed  in  Ixiii.  18  and  Ixiv.  10,  11 
(9,  10  Heb.),  which  depict  the  temple  of  Jerusalem  as  in  ruins  and 
burned  with  fire,  that  has  occasioned  the  widest  diversity  of  opinion 
among  critics.  We  have,  fortunately,  owing  to  the  brilliant  re- 
storation of  text  by  Marti  in  the  beginning  of  Ixiii.   18,  no  longer 


ISAIAH  63.  7  307 

toward  the  house  of  Israel,  which  he  hath  bestowed  on 

any  need  to  occupy  ourselves  with  the  utterly  baffling  phrase  in 
the  original  rendered,  '  My  holy  people  possessed  it  but  a  little 
while'  (R.  v.),  of  which  various  other  interpretations  have  been 
given.     See  note  on  the  passage  below. 

Duhm,  who  contends  that  the  entire  collection  of  oracles 
Ivi-lxvi  belongs  to  the  years  that  immediately  precede  the  advent 
of  Nehemiah,  finds  no  difficulty  in  assigning  the  present  section 
to  the  same  period.  The  foes  are  the  Samaritans  who  have 
wrought  this  destruction  of  the  sanctuary.  But  neither  in  the 
books  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  nor  in  the  oracles  of  Malachi,  nor 
in  the  other  sections  of  the  Trito-Isaiah,  have  we  the  slightest 
warrant  for  assuming  that  such  an  event  occurred  between  the 
years  460  and  445  b.  c. 

The  destruction  of  the  temple,  to  which  reference  is  made, 
must  have  taken  place  after  or  before  this  interval.  Cheyne 
would  place  it  in  the  reign  of  the  tyrannical  Artaxerxes  Ochus, 
359-338  B.  c,  but  Josephus,  Anttq.  xi.  7,  §  i,  to  which  we  are 
referred,  gives  no  support  to  this  view.  If  we  are  to  find  such 
an  event  in  post-exilian  times,  it  might  rather  be  identified  with 
the  destruction  of  the  city  by  Ptolemy  Soter,  320  b.  c.  ',  but 
our  knowledge  of  this  period  of  Jewish  History  is  far  too  pre- 
carious, and  the  link  which  connects  it  with  Pss.  Ixxiv  or  Ixxix 
is  as  hypothetical  as  that  which  connects  it  with  the  present 
passage.  On  the  other  hand,  Sellin  would  assign  this  devastation 
of  Jerusalem  and  its  temple  to  the  period  515-500  b.  c,  i.e.  after 
the  erection  of  the  temple  by  Zerubbabel.  But  for  this  we  have 
absolutely  no  warrant.  Indeed  the  motive  for  this  assumption  is 
that  it  affords  a  foundation  for  Sellings  identification  of  Zerubbabel 
with  the  '  Servant '  of  Deutero-Isaiah,  whose  disappearance  from 
the  scene  of  history  after  the  time  of  the  prophef^Zechariah  is 
supposed  to  be  due  to  this  very  catastrophe,  which  completed 
the  ruin  of  the  Messianic  hopes  connected  with  this  descendant  of 
David. 

On  the  whole,  the  theory  of  Gressmann  and  Littmann  -  has  most 
in  its  favour.  It  assigns  the  composition  of  this  passage  to  the 
period  538-520  which  immediately  followed  the  return  of  the 
exiles,  when,  in  the  words  of  Haggai,  God's  'house  was  lying 
waste '   (i.   4,  9),   and   the    returned  exiles  were  suffering  from 

'  Appian  Syr.  50,  cited  by  G.  A.  Smith,  art.  *  Jerusalem  '  in  Enc, 
Bibl.,  col.  2,426. 

^  See  Gressmann,  Ueberdie  in  yesaia,  c.  Ivi-lxvi,  vorausgesetzten 
zeitgeschichtlichen  Verhaltnisse  (1S98),  pp.  21-23  ;  Enno  Littmann, 
Ueber  die  Abfassungszeit  des  Trito-Jesaia  (1S99),  pp.  36-39- 
X    2 


3o8  ISAIAH  63.  7 

them  according  to  his  mercies,  and  according  to  the 

drought  and  the  bitter  disappointment  of  their  ardent  hopes.  Ixiii. 
18,  as  restored  by  Marti's  reconstruction,  and  Ixiv.  10,  11  (9,  10 
Heb.)  will  then  naturally  refer  to  the  condition  of  the  city  and 
temple  as  it  had  remained  since  the  destruction  wrought  by 
Nebuchadrezzar  in  586  b.  c.  Accordingly  this  section  must  be 
separated  from  the  rest  of  the  Trito- Isaiah,  which  belongs  to  a 
much  later  date.  And  this  view  as  to  the  date  of  this  section  iii 
strongly  confirmed  by  the  close  similarity  in  the  tone  of  the 
retrospect  in  ixiii.  10,  Ixiv.  4,  6  with  that  of  Zech.  vii.  n-13, 
viii.  10,  13,  14.  With  the  'holy  and  beautiful  house,'  Ixiv.  11 
(10  Heb.),  cf.  'the  holy  mountain,'  Zech.  viii.  3;  and  with  the 
'grea-t  zeal  of  Yahweh  for  Zion'  in  Zech.  viii.  2  cf.  'Thy  zeal 
and  deeds  of  prowess,'  for  which  the  writer  yearns  in  Ixiii.  15. 
It  is  evident  that  the  Zechariah  passage  (see  especially  Zech.  viii. 
3-17)  was  composed  a  few  years  later  when  the  clouds  had 
rolled  away  and  the  temple  rebuilt  by  Zerubbabel  seemed  to  be 
the  harbinger  of  a  new  era. 

Despite  the  adverse  criticism  of  Marti  in  his  commentary 
(p.  400)  the  facts  of  language  collected  by  Littjnann  in  his 
monograph  (p.  39)  sustain  the  view  which  is  here  advocated.  More- 
over this  conclusion  gives  some  support  to  the  contention  that  the 
foundation  of  the  temple  in  the  days  of  Cyrus,  to  which  Ezra  iii 
refers,  did  not  take  place  in  reality  till  the  time  of  Darius  Hystaspis, 
to  which  the  oracles  of  Haggai  and  Zechariah  assign  this  event, 
a  view  which  has  been  recently  advocated  by  Rothstein  in  his 
monograph  Juden  nnd  Samaritaner,  pp.  15  f.,  20. 

Marti's  own  solution  of  the  problem  is  to  regard  Ixiv.  10-12 
(9-n  Heb.)  as  well  as  Ixiii.  15  foil,  as  a  later  addition  added  to 
the  poem  in  the  early  days  of  the  Maccabees,  when  the  Temple 
was  at  least  partially  burnt  and  the  land  devastated  (i  Mace.  iv. 
38),  while  the  rest  of  the  poem  he  would  assign  to  the  same 
period  as  the  Trito- Isaiah  generally,  i.  e.  the  middle  of  the  fifth 
century  before  Nehemiah's  advent.  Such  a  proceeding  appears 
to  us  artificial  and  arbitrar3' ;  Ixiv.  10-12  (9-11  Heb.)  form  a 
natural  climax  to  verses  6-9  (5-8  Heb.).  It  would  even  be 
better  to  follow  the  extreme  course  of  Grotius  and  Houbigant, 
who  assigned  the  entire  section  to  the  early  days  of  the 
Maccabaean  persecution. 

7-14.  Retrospect  over  Yahweh^ s  past  dealings  with  His  people: 
7.  The  speaker  is  the  poet  as  one  of  the  people  seeking  relief 

from  the  depression  of  the   present  outlook   by  recalUng  God's 

deeds  of  mercy  in  the  olden  time  *. 

*  Duhm  omits   the  clause   (with  Budde)   '  toward   the    house  of 


ISAIAH  G3.  8,  9  309 

multitude  of  his  lovingkindnesses.     For  he  said,  Surely,  8 
they  are  my  people,  children  that  will  not  deal  falsely : 
so  he  was  their  saviour.     In  all  their  affliction  he  was  9 
afflicted,  and  the  angel  of  his  presence  saved  them :  in 
his  love  and  in  his  pity  he  redeemed  them ;  and  he  bare 

8.  Instead  of  for  he  said  render  *  and  said.'  The  clause  is 
simply  a  continuation  of  the  preceding  '  hath  bestowed,  &c.' 

9.  A  striking  reminiscence  of  Exod.  xxiii.  20-23  (E),  cf.  xxxiii. 
14  (J)  especially  when  the  text  is  divested  of  what  appears  to  be 
corruption  by  dittography.  As  the  text  stands  before  us  with  its 
Massoretic  punctuation  and  appended  note  we  are  confronted  by 
two  traditions.  The  written  text  {Kethib)  may  be  rendered  (see 
R.  V.  marg.)  :  '  In  all  their  adversity  he  was  no  adversary.'  The 
passage  was  not,  however,  so  understood  in  the  Jewish  synagogue 
{Kre),  and  it  is  to  this  tradition  the  rendering  in  A.  V.  and  R.  V, 
given  above  is  due.  The  Hebrew  negative  16  is  here,  as  elsewhere 
(cf.  ix.  2  Heb.  and  xlix.  5,  &c.),  taken  as  a  preposition  with  its 
pronominal  affix  (  =  '  to  him').  This,  followed  by  the  impersonal 
verb,  means  '  he  was  afflicted.'  Commentators  are  divided  be- 
tween these  two  interpretations.  Ibn  'Ezra,  Luther,  Ewald, 
Hitzig,  and  Delitzsch  adhered  to  the  former.  Targum  and 
Jerome,  followed  by  Rashi  and  mainly  by  Gesenius,  adhered  to 
the  latter  ^  What  we  hold  to  have  been  the  original  text  with  its 
rendering  is  given  below  (footnote).    It  is  hardly  surprising  that  the 

Israel '  on  metric  grounds.  He  also  follows  the  LXX  in  omitting 
the  copula  before  rab,  which  he  regards  as  an  adjective,  an  epithet  of 
Yahweh,  '  Yahweh  great  in  goodness.'  The  LXX  ('good  judge') 
punctuate  aiTO  i"!  instead  of  our  iiTO  yy.  LXX  read  and  render 
'  bestowed  on  us  '  in  both  places  in  this  verse  (so  Duhm)  ;  '  bestowed 
on  them '  presupposes  the  clause  *  toward  the  house  of  Israel '  con- 
tained also  in  the  LXX. 

^  Duhm  and  Cheyne  follow  the  hint  of  the  LXX  and  read  "i?  (  =  T^) 
in  place  of  "i^j  and  render  *  Not  a  messenger  or  angel — 'twas  His 
Presence  that  saved  them.'  Now  the  LXX  connected  the  beginning 
of  this  verse  with  the  end  of  the  preceding  S  .  .  .  '  he  became  to  them 
a  deliverer,  g,  from  all  affliction.  Not  messenger  nor  angel,  but  the 
Lord  Himself  saved  them.'  But  close  inspection  of  the  Hebrew  text 
reveals  the  presence  of  dittography  and  corruption.  Parallelism  is 
simplified  by  restoring  the  text  cy^^'irr  v:0  "j^bo  nyrbyo.  *  From  all 
afflictions  the  angel  of  His  Presence  saved  them ;  in  loving  and 
sparing  them  He  redeemed  them.' 


3IO  ISAIAH  63.  lo,  n 

lo  them,  and  carried  them  all  the  days  of  old.  But  they  re- 
belled, and  grieved  his  holy  spirit :  therefore  he  was 
turned  to  be  their  enemy,  and  himself  fought  against 

Ti  them.  Then  he  remembered  the  days  of  old,  Moses,  aitd 
his  people,  sayifig^  Where  is  he  that  brought  them  up  out 
of  the  sea  with  the  shepherds  of  his  flock  ?  where  is  he 

leaders  of  the  Jewish  synagogue,  guided  by  a  spiritual  instinct, 
were  led  to  deviate  from  their  text  into  the  expression  of  a 
beautiful  evangelical  truth  near  to  the  heart  of  Christianity. 

10.  yet  they  (of  all  people  in  the  world),  whom  Yahweh  in  his 
love  and  compassion  had  saved,  rebelled  against  Him.  The 
pronoun  is  here  emphatic,  as  in  chap.  i.  2.  God's  holy  spirit 
became  thereby  embittered  and  transformed  into  an  attitude  of 
hostility.  On  this  passage  the  apostolic  admonition  is  based  (Eph. 
iv.  30).  Cheyne  calls  attention  {Introd.  p.  352)  to  the  beginnings 
of  a  tendency  revealed  in  this  verse  to  hypostatize  God's  Holy 
Spirit,  parallel  to  that  of  His  Presence  in  the  preceding  verse. 

11.  The  words  Moses  and  his  people,  which  are  found  in  our 
Hebrew  text,  have  no  place  in  that  of  the  LXX.  This  would  seem 
to  imply  that  there  was  a  gap  in  the  line  which  our  Hebrew  text  has 
filled  up.  Cheyne  notes  the  parallel  to  Deut.  xxxii.  7,  and  would 
regard  this  as  a  reminiscence  of  that  passage.  We  might  therefore 
restore  thus  : — 

'Then  [Israel]  remembered  the  days  of  old  — [the  years  of 

past  ages,  saying:]  ' 

This  is,  however,  only  ingenious  conjecture.     But  it  probably 

comes  nearer  to  the  original  than  the  traditional  Hebrew  text.    It  is 

safer  to  continue  the  rendering  of  our  Hebrew  text  (with  a  slight 

modification  which  the  LXX  suggest)  : — 

'  Where  is  he  that  brought  up  from  the  sea  the  shepherd  of 

His  fiock  ; 
Where  is  He  who  put  within  him  His  holy  spirit*  ? ' 
That  the  shepherd  of  Yahweh's  flock  was  Moses  is  quite  obvious, 
and  there  was  no  need  for  the  gloss- writer  to  anticipate  the  name 


*  The  Massoretic  note  which  reads  '  shepherds '  of  His  flock,  in 
order  to  give,  presumably,  some  due  place  to  Aaron,  is  a  curious 
refinement.  Nor  is  it  easy  to  see  why  the  singular  masc.  pron. 
suffix  of  the  original  of  '  within  him  '  (lit.  *  in  his  midst,'  cf.  Ps.  li.  10 
[Heb.  12])  should  be  referred  by  the  LXX  and  all  who  follow  them 
to  the  '  flock  '  or  people,  on  the  basis  of  Num.  xi.  17,  which  is  quite 
as  good  evidence  for  the  interpretation  here  adopted. 


ISAIAH  63.  12-15  311 

that  put  his  holy  spirit  in  the  midst  of  them  ?  that  caused  12 
his  glorious  arm  to  go  at  the  right  hand  of  Moses  ?  that 
divided  the  water  before  them,  to  make  himself  an  ever- 
lasting name?  that  led  them  through  the  depths,  as  an  13 
horse  in  the  wilderness,  that  they  stumbled  not?  As  the  14 
cattle  that  go  down  into  the  valley,  the  spirit  of  the  Lord 
caused  them  to  rest :  so  didst  thou  lead  thy  people,  to 
make  thyself  a  glorious  name.    Look  down  from  heaven,  1 5 

in  the  clause  with  which  he  filled  up  the  lacuna  in  the  first  line  of 
this  verse.  The  sea  here  obviously  refers  to  the  Red  Sea.  The 
events  portrayed  in  Exod.  xiv  (J,  E)  were  evidently  before  the 
writer's  mind.  This  interpretation  appears  fairly  clear.  Yahweh's 
power  is  here  described  as  bringing  Moses,  the  leader  of  Israel's 
host  (shepherd  of  Yahweh's  flock),  out  of  the  perils  of  the  Red 
Sea  on  the  eventful  night  of  the  Exodus.  There  is  no  need  to 
resort  to  the  story  of  the  ark  of  bulrushes,  and  to  interpret  the 
'  sea'  as  referring  to  the  Nile  (as  in  xviii.  2,  xix.  5  ;  cf.  Nah.  iii.  8) 
with  Duhm  and  Marti. 

12-13  continue  in  the  form  of  interrogation  the  reference  to 
the  wonderful  deliverance  on  the  night  of  the  Exodus.  The  Israel- 
ite host  were  as  secure  amid  the  water-depths  of  the  Red  Sea  as 
a  horse  that  makes  its  way  over  the  wilderness.  Instead  of  tliat 
they  stumbled  not  render  more  idiomatically  '  without  stumbling.' 
A  comparison  with  Exod.  xiv.  22  makes  it  exceedingly  probable, 
when  other  points  of  coincidence  with  Exod.  xiv  are  taken  into 
consideration,  that  the  writer  of  this  section  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  J,  E  narratives  of  the  Pentateuch. 

14.  By  valley  here  is  meant  in  the  original  a  broad  open  valley. 
For  caused  them  to  rest  the  LXX  and  other  ancient  versions 
render  '  guided  them  ^.'  This  is  based  on  a  slightly  different  text 
(or  rather  pronunciation),  which  most  recent  scholars  (Ewald, 
Oort,  Klostermann  and  Duhm)  accept.     Kittel  and  Marti  hesitate. 

Verses  15 — Ixiv.  12  (11  Heb.)  Agonized  appeal  to  Yahweh  for 
mercy  and  help  in  the  present  distress,  together  with  confession  of  sin. 

According  to  Duhm  verses  15,  16  form  the  last  strophe  of  the 
elegiac  series.  But  the  new  note  of  appeal  to  God,  as  contrasted 
with  the  preceding  note  of  praise  and  the  retrospect  of  Yahweh's 
mighty  deeds  of  deliverance  (cf.  verse  7),  clearly  begins  with  verse 
15  and  continues  to  the  close  of  chap.  Ixiv.     The  opening  phrase 

*  Readin*  ^isnon  instead  of  I2n']n  of  our  text. 


312  ISAIAH  63.  i6,  17 

and  behold  from  the  habitation  of  thy  holiness  and  of  thy 
glory  :  where  is  thy  zeal  and  thy  mighty  acts  ?  the  yearn- 
ing of  thy  bowels  and  thy  compassions  are  restrained 

16  toward  me.  For  thou  art  our  father,  though  Abraham 
knoweth  us  not,  and  Israel  doth  not  acknowledge  us : 
thou,  O  Lord,  art  our  father ;  our  redeemer  from  ever- 

1 7  lasting  is  thy  name.  O  Lord,  why  dost  thou  make  us  to 
err  from  thy  ways,  and  hardenest  our  heart  from  thy  fear? 


of  Ixiii.  15  finds  its  echo  in  Ixiv.  9  (8  Heb.).  The  appeal,  how- 
ever, is  evidently  grounded  on  the  retrospect  of  the  preceding 
verses. 

15  accordingly  appeals  to  old  memories  of  the  past  dealings 
of  Yahweh,  when  the  poet  asks  : — 

'Where   is  thy  zeal  and  thy   prowess — the  tumult  of  thy 
compassions '  ?  (lit.  thy  bowels). 

The  interrogative  form  of  the  appeal  is  the  same  as  in  verse 
14  above,  and  it  meets  us  again  in  another  form  in  verses  17  and 
18.  In  the  last  line  the  LXX  indicate  that  we  ought  to  read 
'  thy  pity  that  withheld  itself  toward  us,'  which  is  certainly  more 
probable  in  view  of  the  ist  person  plur.  in  the  verse  which 
immediately  follows  *. 

16.  This  reference  to  Abraham  is  characteristic  of  exilian  and 
post-exilian  prophecy ;  comp.  li.  2. 

17.  A  somewhat  strange  note  is  here  sounded.  Moral  causation 
is  carried  back  a  step  farther  than  usual.  Affliction  is  explained 
as  God's  disciplinary  chastisement  for  sin.  But  sin  is  here  itself 
ascribed  to  God's  agency,  as  in  the  case  of  Pharaoh's  obstinate 
refusal  to  comply  with  God's  command  (Exod.  vii.  3).  Elsewhere 
it  is  occasionally  ascribed  to  a  supernatural  personal  agency 
opposed  to  God  (Gen.  iii),  but  this  is  more  especially  true  of  later 
post-exilian  literature  (see  art.  '  Satan  '  in  Hastings'  DB.).  Comp. 
2  Sam.  xxiv.  r  with  i  Chron.  xxi.  i. 

from  thy  fear  should  give  place  to  the  more  idiomatic 
rendering  '  so  as  not  to  fear  thee.'  For  this  idiomatic  use  of  the 
Hebrew  preposition  '  from '  (jin'n)  the  student  of  Hebrew  is  referred 

*  Duhm,  Cheyne,  and  Marti  would  go  further  and  read  the  Heb. 
characters  bw  as  a  negative  instead  of  a  preposition.  Duhm  would 
read  ipa«n»  ^«,  i.e.  Met  not  thy  pity  be  restrained'  (lit.  restrain 
itself),  "    " 


ISAIAH  63.  18—64.  2  313 

Return  for  thy  servants'  sake,  the  tribes  of  thine  inherit- 
ance.    Thy  holy  people  possessed  it  but  a  little  while:  '^ 
our  adversaries  have  trodden  down  thy  sanctuary.     We  19 
are  become  as  they  over  whom  thou  never  barest  rule;  as 
they  that  were  not  called  by  thy  name.     Oh  that  thou  64 
wouldest  rend  the  heavens,  that  thou  wouldest  come  down, 
that  the  mountains  might  flow  down  at  thy  presence  ;  as  2 

to  Gesen.-Kautzsch,  Heh.  Gra%n?^  §  119.  3^',  cf.  Isa.  v.  6,  xxiii. 
19,  xlix.  15,  liv.  9. 

18.  The  first  clause  of  this  verse  has  been  an  insoluble  enigma 
to  the  critics,  and  various  explanations  have  been  attempted.  The 
chief  difficulty  has  arisen  through  the  opening  word  in  the  original 
rendered  above  in  R.  V.  'a  little  while.'  Obviously  the  phrase  is 
inadequate  to  designate  the  entire  period  that  elapsed  from  the 
foundation  of  Solomon's  temple  to  its  destruction  in  586.  On  the 
other  hand,  any  historic  evidence  for  the  destruction  of  the  temple 
of  Zerubbabel  within  a  short  time  of  its  erection  is,  as  we  have 
shown,  altogether  lacking.  A  very  ingenious  restoration  of  the 
original  text,  which  bears  all  the  marks  of  an  actual  recovery  of 
the  real  words,  has  relieved  the  passage  of  all  difficulty.  Render, 
'Why  have  wicked  ones  done  despite  to  thy  holy  place ^.'  This 
not  only  restores  the  parallelism  of  the  verse,  but  gives  an  open- 
ing to  this  verse  similar  to  that  which  precedes  in  verse  17. 

19.  So  great  have  been  the  humiliations  from  which  Israel  has 
suffered,  that  one  might  argue  that  Yahweh  no  longer  ruled  over 
them  and  Israel  had  lost  the  rights  and  privileges  of  being  His 
subjects. 

Chapter  LXIV. 

1.  From  the  heart-breaking  utterance  of  the  preceding  verse, 
that  Yahweh  appeared  to  have  long  severed  all  connexion  with 
Israel,  the  transition  is  easy  to  the  agonized  cry  that  this  severance 
of  long  standing  between  Yahweh  and  His  people  might  have 
ended,  and  that  God  might  have  broken  through  the  silent  adaman- 
tine vault  of  heaven  within  which  He  had  so  long  withdrawn 
Himself. 

flow  down  or  ^melt '  is  the  interpretation  of  the  LXX,  followed 
by  the  Vulgate,  but  the  punctuators  of  our  Hebrew  text  coincide 

^  ^'"'i?  07^'")  ^">??  '^''il'  The  use  of  the  Pi  el  form  of  the  verb, 
which  is  not  found  in  pre-exilian  Hebrew,  is  to  be  regarded  as  an 
Aramaism.  Aramaisms  of  this  kind  increase  in  number  as  we  enter 
the  post-exilian  period. 


314  ISAIAH  64.  3 

when  fire  kindleth  the  brushwood,  a;/^the  fire  causeth  the 
waters  to  boil  :  to  make  thy  name  known  to  thine  adver- 
3  saries,  that  the  nations  may  tremble  at  thy  presence !  When 
thou  didst  terrible  things  which  we  looked  not  for,  thou 
earnest  down,  the  mountains  flowed  down  at  thy  presence. 

with  the  Targ.  and  Peshitto  in  deriving  the  verb  from  another  root 
meaningto  'quake'  (seeR.  V.  marg.).  Accordingly  render:  'Oh, 
that  thou  mightest  have  rent  the  heavens,  descended  ;  that  moun- 
tains might  quake  before  thee\'  We  have  here  the  expression 
of  a  hopeless  wish  in  reference  to  the  immediate  past  and  present 
that  the  poet  knows  to  be  incapable  of  realization.  The  tense  of  the 
original  clearly  shows  this.  It  expresses  more  than  mere  impor- 
tunity, see  xlviii.  18;  Num.  xiv.  2,  xx.  3;  Jos.  vii.  7.  Comp. 
Davidson,  Hebrew  Syntax,  §  134. 

2-3.  The  poet  sighs  for  the  old  days  (cf.  Ixiii.  11).  Oh,  that  a 
miracle  might  have  been  wrought  on  Israel's  return  to  Palestine 
as  in  the  days  of  the  exodus.  Perhaps  the  glowing  language  of  the 
exile-prophet,  Deutero-Isaiah,  may  have  aroused  such  an  expecta- 
tion, cf.  xl.  3-5,  xliii.  2,  Ti,  16-20,  xlv.  8,  xlviii.  20,  21,  xlix.  8-1 1, 
li.  5,  6.  For  flowed  down  in  verse  3  read  '■  quaked  '  as  in  verse  i 
(with  R.  V.  marg.).  The  reference  in  this  verse  appears  to  be  an 
allusion  to  the  scenes  before  Mount  Sinai ;  cf.  Exod.  xix  (J,  E). 

4.  We  are  here  confronted  by  serious  problems  as  to  the 
original  text.  We  have  to  place  in  comparison  with  the  tradi- 
tional Hebrew  text  before  us  not  only  the  version  of  the  LXX, 
but  also  the  citation  by  St.  Paul  in  i  Cor.  ii.  9  as  well  as  by 
Clement  in  Ep.  Cor.  xxxiv.  8,  which  is  nearly  the  same  ^     It  is 

*  The  path  of  the  textual  critic  in  this  and  the  following  verses  Is 
exceedingly  uncertain  and  difficult.  A  comparison  of  the  LXX 
reveals  a  very  different,  and  in  some  respects  inferior,  text.  For 
'  come  down '  (*  descend ')  n"in>  the  LXX  read  '  trembling,'  nnirt 
(more  correctly  nn  or  II^^t,  as  Scholz  suggests ;  see  Ottley).  The 
problem  of  reconstruction  is  far  too  intricate  and  precarious  to  be 
attempted  here.  We  subjoin  the  LXX  rendering  :  '  If  thou  shouldst 
open  the  heaven,  trembling  at  Thee  will  take  the  mountains,  and  they 
shall  melt  as  wax  melts  at  the  presence  of  fire,  and  fire  shall  burn  up 
the  adversaries,  and  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed  among 
the  adversaries.*  The  LXX  evidently  read  "lypn,  '  shall  burn  '  or 
'  consume,'  for  the  very  problematic ns-nn  of  our  Hebrew  text  ('  causeth 
the  waters  to  boil  *). 

■^  LXX  render  as  follows :  *  From  olden  time  we  have  not  heard. 


ISAIAH  64.  ^-6  315 

For  from  of  old  men  have  not  heard,  nor  perceived  by  the  4 
ear,  neither  hath  the  eye  seen  a  God  beside  thee,  which 
worketh  for  him  that  waiteth  for  him.  Thou  meetest  him  5 
that  rejoiceth  and  worketh  righteousness,  those  that  re- 
member thee  in  thy  ways  :  behold,  thou  wast  wroth,  and 
we  sinned :  in  them  hcwe  we  been  of  long  time,  and  shall 
we  be  saved?  For  we  are  all  become  as  one  that  is  unclean,  ^ 

quite  possible  that  we  ought  to  follow  the  guidance  of  the  Pauline 
(and  Clementine)  citation  as  Duhm  does  : — 

'Ear  hath  not  heard  nor  ej'e  seen 
A  God  beside  Thee,  &c,' 
But  beyond  this  no  modification  is  called  for. 

5.  It  is  safest  to  cancel  from  the  text  the  Hebrew  word  5^5, 
which  is  rendered  him  that  rejoiceth,  together  with  the  copula 
that  follows,  as  a  corruption  or  superadded  gloss  that  does  not 
add  to  the  sense.  For  this  we  hai^e  full  justification,  as  the  LXX 
altogether  omit  them.    Accordingly  read  (following  the  LXX)  : — 

'Thou  meetest  those  that   do    right — and  call  to  mind  Thy 
wa3's. ' 
The  expression  meetest  obviously  signifies  '  meetest  with  Thy 
Divine  favour.' 

The  last  two  clauses  of  this  verse,  '  in  them  have  we  been  .  .  . 
saved '  ?  are  an  attempted  rendering  of  a  hopelessly  corrupt  text. 
Any  suggested  restoration  is  mere  conjecture',  as  R.  V.  marg. 
clearly  indicates. 

6.  The  confession  of  sin  continues.  So  low  has  the  people 
fallen  that  sin  is  universally  prevalent.     Sin  is  here  described  as 

nor  have  our  eyes  seen  a  God  except  Thee,  and  the  deeds  which  Thou 
doest  [LXX  actually  render  '  wilt  do '  through  misapprehension  of 
the  force  of  Heb.  imperf.]  to  those  who  wait  for  mercy.'  The  text 
cited  by  St.  Paul  in  the  original  may  perhaps  have  been  jj;><  ri:n«n  nS 
^"j  aino"?  mu:?'  r\rjr^  ^  3^  ^»  nnXT  wb  ;*».  Here  the  apostle  had  in  his 
text  an  Aramaic  expression  in  place  of  the  Hebrew  of  our  text, 
ib-n2n^b.  The  latter  is  not  only  sustained  by  the  LXX,  but  also  by  the 
citation  of  the  Ep.  of  Clement. 

'  The  LXX  seem  to  have  had  a  shorter  text,  and  render  '  Therefore 
have  we  gone  astray.'  The  verb  here  may  have  been,  as  Ewald 
suggests,  rrei,  but  the  clause  which  precedes  it  appears  to  be  beyond 
even  approximate  recovery. 


3t6  ISAIAH  C4.  7-11 

and  all  our  righteousnesses  are  as  a  polluted  garment : 
and  we  all  do  fade  as  a  leaf;  and  our  iniquities,  like  the 

7  wind,  take  us  away.  And  there  is  none  that  calleth  upon 
thy  name,  that  stirreth  up  himself  to  take  hold  of  thee:  for 
thou  hast  hid  thy  face  from  us,  and  hast  consumed  us  by 

8  means  of  our  iniquities.  But  now,  O  Lord,  thou  art  our 
father;  we  are  the  clay,  and  thou  our  potter;  and  we  all  are 

9  the  work  of  thy  hand.  Be  not  wroth  very  sore,  O  Lord, 
neither  remember  iniquity  for  ever  :    behold,  look,  we 

10  beseech  thee,  we  are  all  thy  people.     Thy  holy  cities  are 

become   a   wilderness,   Zion    is    become    a   wilderness, 

ii  Jerusalem  a  desolation.      Our  holy  and  our  beautiful 

uncleanness,  one  that  is  unclean  does  not  mean  here  a  foreigner 
as  in  Hi.  i,  but  is  a  vivid  descriptive  term  for  the  prevalent 
religious  and  social  condition  of  the  Palestinian  Jewish  inhabi- 
tants about  525  B.  c,  which  probably  persisted  with  little  abate- 
ment or  check  till  the  advent  of  Nehemiah,  though  some  ameliora- 
tion may  have  temporarily  supervened  on  the  erection  of  the 
temple  by  Zerubbabel,  518-515  b.  c. 

*7.  The  LXX  by  their  rendering  show  us  the  right  text. 
Accordingly  translate  with  the  R.  V.  marg.  (So  also  Cheyne  and 
Marti:  *  hast  delivered  us  into  the  power  of  our  iniquities' — 
not  hast  consumed  tis,  &:c.) '. 

8.  The  confession  of  sin  passes  over  into  an  expression,  under 
the  similitude  of  the  potter,  of  complete  submission  to  Divine 
rule  and  resignation  to  the  Divine  will  as  in  Jer.  xviii.  6  ;  Job 
X.  9  (cf.  Isa.  xlv.  9).  On  the  use  of  this  metaphor  by  Isaiah, 
see  xxix.  i6  and  note  in  vol.  1.  There  is,  however,  a  gleam  of 
hope  in  the  use  of  the  term  father  in  the  appeal  addressed  to 
Yahweh,  which  is  therefore  grounded  on  high  moral  relations 
subsisting  between  Yahweh  and  Israel  greater  than  those  of  a 
potter  to  the  clay  or  even  of  a  sovereign  to  his  subjects. 

9.  These  considerations  are  evidently  present  to  the  mind  of 
the  writer  in  the  words  '  Be  not  exceeding  angry,  nor  for  ever 
be  mindful  of  guilt.' 

10.  The  LXX  render  from  a  text  which  would  lead  us  to 
translate  'a  curse  '  in  place  of  a  desolation  ^. 

^  Reading  i::-3nni,  not  "laaiom. 

^  nSVj?  in  place  of  noo^y  (Jer.  xlii,  18;  xHv.  8).  Perhaps  the 
latter  term  was  substituted  In  later  texts  as  less  harsh  and  ill-omened. 


ISAIAH  G4.  12—65.  i  317 

house,  where  our  fathers  praised  thee,  is  burned  with  fire ; 
and  all  our  pleasant  things  are  laid  waste.     Wilt  thou  la 
refrain  thyself  for  these  things,  O  Lord  ?  wilt  thou  hold 
thy  peace,  and  afflict  us  very  sore  ?] 

I  am  inquired  of  by  them  that  asked  noX^for  me  \  I  am  65 

11.  The  pleasant  thing's  or  'beauteous  treasures'  of  the 
ancient  temple  of  Solomon  had  been  carried  away  by  Nebuchad- 
nezzar in  586  B.  c.  (2  Kings  xxv.  8,  9,  13-17). 

Chapters  LXV  and  LXVI. 
In  these  two  chapters  we  evidently  return  to  the  years  that 
immediately  preceded  the  advent  of  Nehemiah,  and  meet  with  all 
the  characteristic  traits  that  mark  the  writings  of  the  Trito-Isaiah 
— the  notes  of  warning  and  reproof  and  the  references  to 
degeneracy  in  religious  cultus  and  social  life.  The  main  theme  of 
these  chapters  is  the  punishment  of  the  schismatics  and  the  happiness 
of  the  faithful.  Verses  1-7  in  chap.  Ixv  are  a  denunciation  of  the 
unfaithful,  whose  religious  practices  showed  them  to  be  disloyal 
to  the  pure  standards  of  Yahweh  worship  inculcated  by  the 
Prophets  and  the  Deuteronomic  legislation.  Verses  8-12  exhibit 
the  contrasted  destiny  of  the  faithful  worshippers  of  Yahweh  and 
of  the  unfaithful.  Verses  13-20  continue  this  theme  in  a  distinct 
poem  of  different  metric  form.  Verses  21-25  in  the  ordinary 
metric  form  portray  the  happy  state  of  Yahweh's  faithful  servants, 
in  natural  sequence  to  what  immediately  precedes  ;  Ixvi.  1-4  in 
the  same  metre  is  directed  once  more  against  the  schismatics 
who  were  planning  the  erection  of  a  temple  of  their  own.  Verses 
5-1 1  fall  into  strophes  of  a  distinct  metre,  like  Ixv.  13-20.  They 
are  a  message  of  comfort  to  the  faithful  Jews  in  their  conflict  with 
the  schismatics.  Vengeance  shall  be  taken  on  the  latter,  while 
increase  in  numbers  and  a  future  of  great  prosperity  await  Zion. 
In  verses  12-17  we  return  to  the  same  metric  form  as  verses  1-4, 
and  continue  the  theme  of  Divine  blessing  for  the  faithful  and  of 
destructive  doom  for  the  heretics  and  devotees  of  an  impure 
worship.  Verses  18-22,  on  the  other  hand,  make  no  reference  to 
the  Samaritan  schism,  but  dwell  on  the  manifestation  of  Yahweh's 
glory  to  the  assembled  nations  and  to  distant  peoples  who  have 
not  yet  known  it.  These  shall  bring  the  Israel  of  the  Diaspora 
with  them  to  God's  holy  shrine,  and  priestly  privileges  shall  be 
accorded  to  these  Israelites  also.  A  new  era  shall  then  dawn. 
The  concluding  verses  (23,  24),  ending  with  a  curse,  are  from 
another  and  much  later  hand. 

Ixv.  1-7.    It  is  quite  obvious  that  this  section  contemplates  an 
entirely  different  historic   situation    from    that   which  underlies 


3i8  ISAIAH  65.  2 

found  of  them  that  sought  me  not :   I  said,  Behold  me, 

behold  me^  unto  a  nation  that  was  not  called  by  my  name. 

a  I  have  spread  out  my  hands  all  the  day  unto  a  rebellious 

Ixiii.  7— Ixiv.  12.  In  the  latter  we  have  a  temple  in  ruins  and 
the  sense  of  dejection  and  disappointment  which  attends  a  reac- 
tion from  high  hopes  of  a  Divine  intervention.  Here  we  have  a 
sanctuary  established  in  Zion  and  a  society  of  at  least  some  faith- 
ful worshippers,  but  also  the  existence  of  a  body  of  schismatics 
and  of  irregular  cultus,  which  had  long  subsisted.  Accordingly 
it  is  impossible  to  follow  the  older  exegetes,  Franz  Delitzsch  and 
Dillmann,  who  link  this  to  the  preceding  chapter  by  regarding 
the  former  as  God's  answer  to  the  entreaties  contained  in  the 
latter.     This  section  is  composed  in  double  lines. 

1.  For  I  am  inquired  of,  &c.,  read  'I  suffered  myself^  to 
be  inquired  of  to  those  who  asked  me  not.'  Similarly  in  the 
following  line  :  '  I  suffered  myself  to  be  found  to  those  who,  &c.' 
The  reference  is  to  the  internal  conditions  of  the  Israelitish 
communities  in  Palestine.  The  Jews  who  were  in  Palestine, 
consisting  mainly  of  the  restored  exiles  or  their  descendants,  who 
were  faithful  to  the  pure  worship  of  Yahweh,  endeavoured  to 
incorporate  the  old  Jewish  inhabitants,  and  especially  the 
Samaritans,  who  were  a  mixed  community  consisting  partially  of 
Babylonian  settlers  (2  Kings  xvii.  24).  These,  as  we  shall  see, 
(see  verses  3  and  4  below)  were  corrupted  by  the  heathenish 
customs  which  had  long  prevailed  in  the  land.  In  the  days  of 
Jeremiah  (xli.  5)  inhabitants  of  Samaria,  Shiloh,  and  Shechem 
came  to  offer  sacrifices  in  Jerusalem.  But  now  their  attitude  was 
one  of  hostility,  and  they  endeavoured  to  establish  a  rival 
sanctuary  in  Samaria  (cf.  Ezra  iv ;  Neh.  ii.  10,  19,  iv,  vi). 
These  are  the  people  who  '  call  not  on  My  name  -.' 

2.  Yahweh  has  even  stretched  out  His  hands  in  entreaty  to 
this  *  rebellious  and  obstinate  ^ '  people.  The  '  unwholesome  way  ' 
in  which  they  went  refers  to    heathen  cultus.     The  word  way 

^  An  example  of  Nif'al  tolerativum,  Gesen.-Kautzsch's  Heb. 
Gram.-^,  §  51  c.  Read  with  LXX  and  Lowth  'o^VttJ,  which  completes 
the  parallelism  with  the  following  line. 

^  So  read,  and  not  called  "by  my  name,  i.  e.  N^p  or  arp^  rather  than 
K^p  (passive).  So  LXX  and  other  versions,  followed  by  Lowth, 
Ewald,  Delitzsch,  &ic. ;  cf.  Ixiv.  7  (6  Heb) ;  Gen.  iv.  26,  &c. 

^  The  LXX  indicate  that  a  word,  rT>D,  has  dropped  out  of  our  text 
which  the  due  rhythm  of  the  verse  requires  us  to  insert.      Cf.  Rom. 

X.  21. 


ISAIAH  65.  3-5  319 

people,  which  vvalketh  in  a  way  that  is  not  good,  after 
their  own  thoughts ;  a  people  that  provoketh  me  to  my  3 
face   continually,    sacrificing    in    gardens,    and    burning 
incense  upon  bricks ;  which  sit  among  the  graves,  and  4 
lodge  in  the  secret  places ;  which  eat  swine's  flesh,  and 
broth  of  abominable  things  is  in  their  vessels ;   which  5 

{derech)  has  this  special  meaning  of  cultus.     Cf.  Amos  viii.  14  and 
the  use  of '  way  '  in  Acts  xix.  9,  23,  and  the  Arabic  iarik. 

3.  This  'unwholesome  way'  is  now  particularized.  The 
sacrifices  in  gardens  were  an  old  feature  of  Semitic  worship.  Cf. 
Isa.  i=  20,  xyii.  10  ;  Hos.  iv.  13,  and  likewise  Ixvi.  17  below.  The 
reference  of  the  incense  upon  bricks  (or  tiles)  is  far  from  certain. 
In  Zeph.  i.  5,  Jer.  xix.  13,  2  Kings  xxiii.  12  we  read  of  the 
custom  which  prevailed  in  the  latter  portion  of  the  seventh  century 
of  burning  incense  to  the  star-deities  on  the  roofs  of  houses  and 
sanctuaries,  a  custom  which  may  have  extended  back  to  the  time 
of  Manasseh  (2  Kings  xxi.  3,  5"),  and  was  evidently  an  importation 
from  Babylonia  or  Assyria.  Whether  the  expression  '  tiles  '  here 
should  be  taken  as  synonymous  with  '  roof  in  the  passages  cited,  or 
whether  we  are  to  think  of  small  altars  constructed  of  tiles,  is  far 
from  clear.     We  still  await  archaeological  evidence. 

4.  '  Those  who  sit  on  graves  and  spend  the  night  in  places  of 
concealment '  is  an  evident  allusion  to  the  prevailing  customs  of 
sorcery  and  necromancy  whereby  information  was  solicited  by 
conjuring  the  spirits  of  the  dead.  This  was  nothing  more  than 
the  old  Canaanite  and  Israelite  traditions  (cf.  i  Sam.  xxviii), 
against  which  Hebrew  prophecy  protested  (Isa.  viii.  19  foil.)  and 
the  Deuteronomic  law  prescribed  stern  prohibition  and  penalty 
(Deut.  xviii.  11;  cf.  Lev.  xix.  31,  xx.  6,  7),  and  of  which  the 
ancient  world  generally  was  full  (cf.  Horace,  Satires  i.  8,  and  see 
art '  Sorcery  '  in  Hastings'  DB.,  vol.  iv,  p.  603,  and  'Necromancy,' 
ibid.  p.  606). 

torotlx  of  abominable  thing's  is  the  right  reading.  Our 
Hebrew  text  reads  another  word  (perak),  which  means  'morsels.' 
But  the  Jewish  schools  preserved  the  variant  (merak),  which  was 
adopted  in  the  S3'nagogue  (kere)  and  has  the  support  of  ancient 
versions  (LXX,  Vulg.,  Targ.).  This  is  the  reading  here  adopted, 
'broth.'  This  broth  or  brew  was  doubtless  supposed  to  possess 
magical  properties,  like  the  curious  decoction  of  a  kid  in  its 
mother's  milk,  which  seems  to  have  been  an  old  and  popular 
remedy  of  Hebrew  superstition  forbidden  in  the  ancient  compend 
of  laws,  the  'Book  of  the  Covenant '  (Exod.  xxiii.  19,  E).  This 
passage  should  be  connected  with  others  that  follow,  viz.  Ixvi.  3, 


320  ISAIAH  65.  6 

say,  Stand  by  thyself,  come  not  near  to  me,  for  I  am 

holier  than  thou :  these  are  a  smoke  in  my  nose,  a  fire 

6  that  burneth  all  the  day.    Behold,  it  is  written  before  me : 

17.  'All  these  passages  refer  to  the  same  circle  of  rites  in  which 
the  victims  chosen  were  such  animals  as  were  strictly  taboo  in 
ordinary  life  [in  familiar  biblical  parlance  "unclean"] — the  swine, 
the  dog,  the  mouse,  and  vermin  generally.  To  such  sacrifices,  as  we 
learn  from  Ixvi.  17,  a  peculiar  consecrating  and  purifying  efficacy 
was  attached,  which  must  be  ascribed  to  the  sacramental  partici- 
pation in  the  sacrosanct  flesh.'  See  Robertson  Smith,  RS."^,  p.  343 
footnote  ;  and  on  mystic  sacrifices  generally  in  ancient  heathen 
rituals  see  p.  290  foil,  (on  the  sacrifice  of  swine,  see  p.  290).  In 
Egypt  the  flesh  of  the  pig  was  regarded  as  an  abomination,  but  it 
was  sacrificed  at  the  festival  of  Selene  and  Dionysos  (Herod,  ii.  47 
foil.).  Jensen  in  Zeitsch.  fiir  Assyriol.  i,  p.  306  foil,  shows  that 
in  Assyria  and  Babylonia  the  flesh  of  the  wild  boar  ()ahu)  was 
often  eaten  (but  on  the  30th  Ab.  and  27th  Marheshwan,  it  was 
forbidden).  Whether  Babylonian  influence  operated  in  the  case 
we  are  considering,  where  we  are  dealing  with  Palestinian  usages, 
is  doubtful. 

For  is  in  their  vessels  read  '  are  their  dishes,'  i.  e.  their  dishes 
consist  in  broth  of  abominable  things.  The  language  resembles 
that  of  chap.  v.  12. 

5.  Stand  by  thyself,  properly  Mraw  near  to  thyself,'  i.e. 
*  remain  far  from  me,  refrain  from  coming  in  contact  with  me,'  the 
same  conception  being  virtually  expressed  in  the  following  clause. 

The  rendering  I  am  holier  than  thou  is  not  possible.  Render, 
'■  I  make  thee  holy  ^,'  strictly  '  shall  have  made  thee  holy,'  i.  e.  if 
thou  touch  me.  Those  who  had  passed  through  these  mystic  rites 
of  consecration  warn  their  comrades  not  to  touch  them,  because 
contact  with  their  own  consecrated  persons  will  infect  their 
comrades  with  holiness  and  thereby  surround  them  with  a  circle 
of  taboos  or  restrictions  which  will  disqualify  them  from  discharg- 
ing the  ordinary  duties  of  life.  The  smoke  here  is  the  expression 
of  Divine  wrath  (cf.  Ps.  xviii.  8  (9  Heb.)).  So  likewise  the  'fire 
that  burns  alway.' 

6.  written  before  me,  i.  e.  by  some  recording  angel  in  the 
heavenly  annals  (Duhm,  who  compares  Ezek.  xxix.  16).  An 
analogous  conception  is  found  in  chap,  xxxiv.  16,  Ps.  cxxxix.  16. 
It  is  Israel's  sins  that  are  here  recorded,  not  their  destined  penalty. 

*  Reading  here  the  Pi'el  (instead  of  the  Kal  of  our  Hebrew  text, 
which  involves  an  unprecedented  construction  of  the  verb)  as  suggested 
by  Geiger  and  followed  by  recent  critics.  The  LXX  render  '  I  am 
pure  (or  holy).' 


ISAIAH  Cyi 


321 


I  will  not  keep  silence,  but  will  recompense,  yea,  I  will 
recompense  into  their  bosom,  your  own  iniquities,  and  7 
the  iniquities  of  your  fathers  together,  saith  the  Lord, 
which  have  burned  incense  upon  the  mountains,  and 
blasphemed  me  upon  the  hills :  therefore  will  I  first 
measure  their  work  into  their  bosom. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord,  As  the  new  wine  is  found  in  the  s 
cluster,  and  one  saith,  Destroy  it  not,  for  a  blessing  is  in 
it:  so  will  I  do  for  my  servants'  sakes,  that  I  may  not 

Render,  'till  I  shall  have  recompensed,'  the  construction  in  the 
original  being  the  same  as  in  Iv.  10,  11  ;  'shall  not  keep  silence' 
is  an  expression  we  have  already  met  in  Ixii.  i,  Ixiv.  11.  Here  it 
means  that  the  expression  of  God's  displeasure  at  these  degraded 
practices  shall  not  cease  till  the  Divine  retribution  has  been 
wreaked  on  those  who  are  guilty  of  them.  The  LXX  in  this 
verse  is  evidently  based  on  a  shorter  text  in  which  there  was  no 
duplication  of  the  phrase  'shall  have  recompensed.' 

*7.  The  guilt  consists  in  the  corrupt  and  debased  worship.  This 
worship  had  been  denounced  by  the  prophets  of  Israel  from  the 
days  of  Hosea  (iv.  13)  to  those  of  Ezekiel  (Ezek.  xviii.  6). 

Verses  8-12.  We  turn  aside  for  a  moment  from  the  debased 
and  heathenish  practices  of  unfaithful  Israel  to  the  more  pleasing 
sight  of  Yahweh's  devoted  followers.  These  are  the  true  seed  of 
Jacob— God's  elect  who  shall  possess  the  land.  A  contrast  is 
drawn  between  the  happy  lot  of  these  and  the  destruction  which 
is  in  store  for  the  unfaithful  '  who  forget  my  holy  hill.'  Doubtless 
the  reference  here  in  the  main  lies  to  schismatics  who  maintained 
a  separate  religious  community  in  Samaria,  to  whom  special 
allusion  is  frequently  made  in  the  Book  of  Nehemiah  ;  but  the 
allusion  also  lies  here,  as  in  verse  7,  to  the  old  practices  which 
continued  to  prevail  in  the  high  places. 

8.  Israel  is  compared  to  a  bad  grape-cluster,  but  it  is  not 
wholly  bad.  There  is  still  some  good  grape-juice  remaining,  and 
for  this  reason  Yahweh  pronounces  against  its  rejection.  There 
is  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  expression  '  Destroy  it  not ' 
{al  tashithu)  was  a  phrase  borrowed  from  a  popular  vintage-song 
of  Canaan.  This  is  confirmed  by  the  occurrence  of  this  phrase  in 
the  singular  form  al  taihsth  in  the  superscription  to  a  series  of 
Psalms  in  our  Psalter — viz.  Ivii,  Iviii,  lix,  and  Ixxv,  which  were  to 
be  sung  to  the  air  of  this  popular  ditty;  see  the  remarks  in 
Robertson  Smith's  OTJC,  p.  209. 


322  ISAIAH  65.  9-II 

9  destroy  them  all.  And  I  will  bring  forth  a  seed  out  of 
Jacob,  and  out  of  Judah  an  inheritor  of  my  mountains  : 
and  my  chosen  shall  inherit  it,  and  my  servants  shall 

10  dwell  there.     And  Sharon  shall  be  a  fold  of  flocks,  and 
the  valley  of  Achor  a  place  for  herds  to  lie  down  in,  for 

1 1  my  people  that  have  sought  me.     But  ye  that  forsake  the 


9.  The  elect  portion  of  Jacob  is  to  possess  the  mountains  or 
central  plateau  where  Jerusalem  was  situated.  The  pronoun 
it  (feminine  in  the  original)  refers  to  the  land  of  this  central 
mountainous  region. 

10.  But  they  are  to  possess  not  the  mountain  region  only,  which 
is  often  bare  as  well  as  rugged,  but  also  the  famous  Plain  of  Sharon, 
which  extends  along  the  coast  region  (bounded  on  the  north  by  the 
Nahr  ez-Zerka  near  Caesarea)  to  the  Nahr  Rubin  in  the  south 
somewhat  below  Joppa.  The  latter  river  (Nahr  Rubin)  separates 
it  from  the  Philistine  territory  proper.  The  Sharon  plain  was 
famed  for  its  luxuriant  fertility  and  pastures  (i  Chron.  xxvii.  29  ; 
Song  of  Songs  ii.  i,  and  Isa.  xxxv.  2,  where  it  is  associated  with 
Carmel  lying  to  the  north  of  it).  'Excellent  soil  is  found  at  a 
depth  of  i^  or  2  feet  beneath  the  surface  of  the  sand,  and  water  is 
found  everywhere  without  having  to  dig  deep  for  it.  Vines  thrive 
admirably ;  sesame  and  wheat  are  cultivated  in  the  fields ' 
(Badeker,  Palestine  and  Syria).  *  Spring  works  a  miracle  in  the 
aspect  of  this  region.  The  richest  grass  and  the  brightest  flowers 
adorn  the  landscape.  Even  in  the  marshlands  the  tall  and 
graceful  papyrus  is,  in  its  autumn  flowering  time,  pleasant  to 
behold '  (Cheyne  in  Enc.  Bibl.). 

On  the  other  hand,  the  identification  of  the  Valley  of  'Ach6r  is 
extremely  doubtful.  Conder  identifies  it  with  the  Wady  el-Kelt 
(Hastings'  Z>5,), which  'winds  down  to  the  Jordan  through  deep 
ravines  and  contains  water  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year ' 
(Badeker,  ibid.).  We  agree  with  the  writer  in  Enc.  Bibl.  that  this 
hardly  seems  to  be  a  suitable  place  for  '  oxen  to  lie  down.* 

Verses  n,  12  present  a  contrast  to  the  idyllic  life  of  those  who 
seek  Yahweh,  and  for  whom  are  reserved  the  Sharon-pastures  and 
the  spots  where  cattle  may  lie  down  in  the  Valley  of  'Achor  (verse 
10).  On  the  other  hand,  those  who  abandon  Yahweh  are  destined 
for  slaughter.  Fortunately  the  text  of  these  two  verses  has  been 
well  preserved. 

11.  We  have  here  interesting  references  to  the  heathenish  rites 
of  old  Canaanite  origin,  to  which  the  disloyal  Jews  of  Samaria  and 
other  places  resorted.     '  Those  who  set  forth  the  table  to  Gad  ' 


ISAIAH  65.  12  3^.^. 

Lord,  that  forget  my  holy  mountain,  that  prepare  a  table 
for  Fortune,  and  that  fill  up  mingled  wine  unto  Destiny ; 
I  will  destine  you  to  the  sword,  and  ye  shall  all  bow  down  12 
to  the  slaughter :  because  when  I  called,  ye  did  not 
answer ;  when  I  spake,  ye  did  not  hear ;  but  ye  did  that 
which  was  evil  in  mine  eyes,  and  chose  that  wherein  I 
delighted  not. 


evidently  worshipped  an  old  Canaanite  god  of  fortune  *  who  gave 
his  name  to  one  of  the  Israelite  tribes  and  also  to  the  Canaanite 
towns  Ba'al  Gad  (Josh.  xi.  17,  xii.  7,  xiii.  5)  and  Migdal  Gad, 
(Josh.  XV.  37).  The  name  appears  to  have  been  really  Ara- 
maic in  origin  according  to  the  evidence  collected  in  Bathgen's 
work''.  The  table  was  probably  set  forth  with  'cakes'  similar  to 
those  which  were  baked  for  the  *  queen  of  heaven,'  Jer.  vii.  18, 
xix.  13,  xliv.  17.  To  this  table  we  have  an  analogy  in  the  '  table 
of  the  Presence  '  (Exod.  xxv.  30  ;  cf.  Num.  iv.  7).  We  have  less 
knowledge  respecting  the  deity  called  '  Destiny '  in  whose  honour 
mixed  wine  was  offered.  Baudissin  connects  this  deity,  called  in 
Hebrew  Mem,  with  the  Arabic  Mandt,  to  which  the  Koran  refers 
(Sur.  liii.  20),  a  goddess  who  was  worshipped  by  the  Pre-Islamic 
Arabs.  Noldeke  is  certain  that  the  two  were  closely  connected  ^ 
12.  The  rendering  I  will  destine  yon  is  intended  to  reproduce 
the  play  of  words  in  the  original  between  the  name  of  the  deity 
(Meni)  and  the  verb  which  is  here  employed.  Oort  endeavours 
to  carry  the  play  on  the  names  further,  and  would  by  a  slight 
emendation  of  the  original  introduce  a  punning  reference  to  the 
deity  Gad  :  '  ye  shall  be  hewn  in  pieces  *  for  the  slaughter ' ;  but 
the  LXX  do  not  support  this  conjecture. 


'  The  LXX  render  'i'Db  by  t^  fvxV)  while  n:  is  translated  by 

^  Beitrdge  zur  semitiscken  Religionsgeschichte,  p.  77  foil.,  but 
there  are  several  examples  also  to  be  found  in  Punic  proper  names ; 
see  Lidzbarski,  Handhuch  der  nordsemitischen  Epigraphik,  p.  249. 

'  See  the  careful  and  complete  article  by  Baudissin  on  Meni  in  PRE^. 
Baudissin  thinks  that  this  cult  was  of  Arabian  origin  and  was  carried 
northward  with  the  movement  of  the  Arabs  in  a  northerly  direction 
during  the  Persian  period.  For  full  information  respecting  the 
Arabian  deity  Manat,  see  Wellhausen,  Reste  arabischen  Heidentums^, 
pp.  25-9. 

*  Reading  wnsn  in  place  of  I3>')3n  of  our  text. 

Y  2 


324  ISAIAH  65.  13-15 

13  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  Behold,  my  servants 
shall  eat,  but  ye  shall  be  hungry :  behold,  my  servants  shall 
drink,  but  ye  shall  be  thirsty :  behold,  my  servants  shall 

14  rejoice,  but  ye  shall  be  ashamed :  behold,  my  servants 
shall  sing  for  joy  of  heart,  but  ye  shall  cry  for  sorrow  of 

15  heart,  and  shall  howl  for  vexation  of  spirit.  And  ye  shall 
leave  your  name  for  a  curse  unto  my  chosen,  and  the  Lord 
God  shall  slay  thee ;  and  he  shall  call  his  servants  by 

Verses  13-20  are  distributed  by  Duhm  (followed  by  Marti)  into 
five  strophes,  each  strophe  being  composed  of  four  long  lines  each. 
The  theme  of  this  poem  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  verses  which 
precede.  Here  the  contrast  is  even  more  sharply  drawn  between 
the  lot  of  the  pious  and  devoted  followers  of  Yahweh  and  that  of 
the  faithless  and  the  schismatics. 

13.  shall  be  ashamed:  a  characteristic  expression  of  Hebrew 
prophecy  and  poetry,  and  used  with  a  stronger  ethical  significance 
than  in  our  own  language,  since  it  often  conveys  not  only  the 
ordinary  meaning,  the  disappointment  of  one's  hopes,  but  also  that 
of  humiliation  and  disgrace;  Ps.  Ixxi.  13 ;  Jer.  ii.  36,  vi.  15,  x.  14,  &c. 

14  continues  the  series  of  contrasts  of  weal  and  woe  dealt 
out  respectively  to  Yahweh's  faithful  followers  and  to  recreant 
schismatics : — 

'Behold,  my  servants  shall  utter  a  ringing  cry— for  happiness 
of  heart. 
But  ye  shall  utter  a  distressful  cry  for  grief  of  heart — from  a 
broken  spirit  shall  moan  aloud.' 

15.  my  chosen  here  are  the  same  as  *  my  chosen '  in  verse  9 
above,  who  are  to  possess  Yahweh's  mountains.  Probably  we 
should  follow  the  LXX  in  reading  '  you '  for  thee  in  the  next  clause 
(i.  e.  shall  slay  you).  While  God  destines  this  schismatic  com- 
munity to  be  a  curse  ^  on  the  lips  of  His  chosen  followers,  the 
name  of  His  chosen  followers  is  to  be  one  of  fairer  omen.  The 
spirit  which  breathes  through  portions  of  these  concluding  oracles 
exhibits  a  tone  of  bitterness  which  is  in  striking  contrast  with  the 
serene  beauty  and  radiant  optimism  of  the  Deutero- Isaiah.  Cf. 
below,  Ixvi.  15,  16. 


'  The  LXX  read  rri>ai^, 'abundance/  'satiety,'  in  place  of  T(^y^. 
One  could  wish  that  this  more  genial  reading  of  the  text  could  yield 
a  tolerable  sense. 


ISAIAH  65.  16-20  325 

another  name :  so  that  he  who  blesseth  himself  in  the  16 
earth  shall  bless  himself  in  the  God  of  truth ;  and  he  that 
sweareth  in  the  earth  shall  swear  by  the  God  of  truth ; 
because  the  former  troubles  are  forgotten,  and  because 
they  are  hid  from  mine  eyes.     For,  behold,  I  create  new  1 7 
heavens  and  a  new  earth:  and  the  former  things  shall  not 
be  remembered,  nor  come  into  mind.     But  be  ye  glad  18 
and  rejoice  for  ever  in  that  which  I  create  :  for,  behold,  I 
create  Jerusalem  a  rejoicing,  and  her  people  a  joy.     And  19 
I  will  rejoice  in  Jerusalem,  and  joy  in  my  people :  and 
the  voice  of  weeping  shall  be  no  more  heard  in  her,  nor 
the  voice  of  crying.     There  shall  be  no  more  thence  an  20 

Verses  16-25.  The  writer  in  this  and  the  following  verses  turns 
his  thoughts  to  a  happier  theme — the  great  future  that  awaits 
Jerusalem  and  the  faithful  community  of  Yahweh's  followers.  A 
new  era  is  to  dawn,  and  the  old  troubles  are  to  be  forgotten. 
Deutero-Isaianic  lines  close  this  chapter  (verse  25).  The  spirit 
is  the  same  as  that  of  the  lyric  passages  in  chapters  Ix-lxii. 

16.  God  of  truth  (omen)  is  undoubtedly  the  right  reading 
of  the  original,  adopted  in  A.V.  and  R.  V.  (as  against  R.  V. 
marg.). 

17.  This  conception  of  a  recreated  universe  (heaven  and  earth) 
is  a  borrowed  trait  from  the  Deutero- Isaiah,  though  not  expressed 
in  the  same  form  (cf.  Iv.  13).  For  the  universe  in  ancient  days 
was  held  to  be  from  the  earth's  surface  heavenwards  an  indivisible 
whole.  Human  society  was  therefore  linked  to  all  the  objects 
that  surrounded  it.  The  sharp  distinction  between  man  and 
animals  (xi.  6  foil.),  man  and  Nature,  was  not  drawn.  Consequently 
the  moral  changes  in  man  had  their  counterpart  in  the  external 
world  whether  for  evil  (cf  Joel  i,  ii  passim)  or  for  good  (Joel  iii. 
17,  18  [iv.  17,  18  Heb.]).  This  conception  of  a  new  heaven  and 
a  new  earth  became  a  favourite  one  in  the  apocalyptic  of  a  later 
age.  Note  that  the  heavens  take  regulative  precedence.  Cf. 
Book  of  Enoch  xlv.  5,  Ixxii.  i,  xci.  16,  and  especially  2  Pet. 
iii.  13,  Rev.  xxi.  i.  The  expression  come  into  mind  seems  to  be 
an  echo  of  Jeremiah,  with  whom  it  was  a  favourite  phrase  (Jer. 
iii.  16,  vii.  31,  &c.). 

19.  Here,  as  well  as  in  the  following  verse,  we  have  obvious 
echoes  of  passages  in  Jeremiah,  viz.  Jer.  vii.  34,  xvi.  9,  xxv.  10, 
xxxiii.  II. 

20.  We  are  also  reminded  of  the  genial  picture  in  Zech.  viii.  4. 


326  ISAIAH  Q5.  ai,  22 

infant  of  days,  nor  an  old  man  that  hath  not  filled  his 
days :  for  the  child  shall  die  an  hundred  years  old,  and 
the  sinner  being  an  hundred  years  old  shall  be  accursed. 
21  And  they  shall  build  houses,  and  inhabit  them ;  and  they 
2  2  shall  plant  vineyards,  and  eat  the  fruit  of  them.  They 
shall  not  build,  and  another  inhabit;  they  shall  not  plant, 
and  another  eat :  for  as  the  days  of  a  tree  shall  be  the 
days  of  my  people,  and  my  chosen  shall  long  enjoy  the 

For  infant  of  days  substitute  the  more  accurate  as  well  as 
intelligible  '  suckling  living  but  a  few  days.*  As  the  burdens  and 
sorrows  of  life  pass  away,  men  attain  to  considerable  longevity, 
which  recalls  the  traditions  of  patriarchal  longevity  in  P.  This 
passage  was  vividly  present  to  the  writer  of  the  *  Book  of  Jubilees  ■ 
in  his  description  of  the  Messianic  Kingdom,  when  children  shall 
devote  themselves  to  the  study  of  the  law,  chap,  xxiii.  25-28. 

The  last  clause  of  this  verse,  the  sinner  being  an  hundred 
years  old  shall  he  accursed,  hardly  gives  an  intelligible  sense  in 
its  context,  and  certainly  affords  no  parallelism.  The  difficulty  has 
arisen  through  the  mistake  of  an  early  copyist  (reflected  in  LXX) 
who  inserted  the  word  ben  before  the  word  for  *  hundred  '  through 
the  influence  of  the  preceding  clause,  so  that  the  phrase,  as  it  stands, 
means  '  a  hundred  years  old  '  according  to  the  familiar  Hebrew 
idiom  (Gesenius-Kautzsch,  Heh.  Gram.  §  128.  2  v).  By  the  omis- 
sion of  ben  the  meaning  becomes  clear  and  the  parallelism  is  re- 
stored :  *  One  who  falls  short^  of  an  hundred  years  shall  be  accursed ' 
(shall  be  regarded  as  one  who  is  subject  to  a  Divine  curse).  The 
age  of  an  hundred  years  shall  be  quite  normal,  and  one  who  falls 
short  of  that  age  at  death  shall  be  regarded  as  one  cut  short  by  a 
Divine  curse.  Length  of  days  is  associated  in  the  O.  T.  with 
righteousness  and  Divine  favour  (Ps.  xci.  16 ;  Prov.  iii.  2,  i6  ;  cf. 
Ps.  xxi.  4  [5  Heb.]). 

21.  The  underlying  idea  of  this  verse  is  that  there  shall  be  war 
no  more.  The  foreign  invader  shall  not  eat  the  crops  and  the 
fruit.  Palestine  had  suffered  terribly  through  this  evil  in  the  eighth 
century  from  the  Assyrian  invaders  or  others  nearer  home  (Isa.  i. 
7),  Assyria  being  compared  to  a  razor  that  leaves  the  surface  bare 
(vii.  20).    This  was  the  common  practice  of  warfare  (2  Kings  iii.  19). 

In  the  seventh  century  the  land  was  ravaged  by  the  Egyptians 
(608  B.C.),  and  in  the  early  part  of  the  sixth  by  the  Babylonians 
twice  (597  and  587  b.  c.)  and  by  the  Edomites  also. 

22  continues  the  same  idea  as  the  preceding  verse.     For  long 

^  For  this  use  of  ^cTfci  in  Heb.,  cf.  Job  v.  24. 


ISAIAH  65.  23-25  327 

work  of  their  hands.     They  shall  not  labour  in  vain,  nor  33 
bring  forth  for  calamity;   for  they  are  the  seed  of  the 
blessed  of  the  Lord,  and  their  offspring  with  them.    And  24 
it  shall  come  to  pass  that,  before  they  call,  I  will  answer ; 
and  while  they  are  yet  speaking,  I  will  hear.     The  wolf  25 
and  the  lamb  shall  feed  together,  and  the  lion  shall  eat 
straw  like  the  ox :  and  dust  shall  be  the  serpent's  meat. 
They  shall  not  hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain, 
saith  the  Lord. 

enjoy  substitute  'consume'  'or  make  full  use  of  (R.  V.  margin, 
'wear  out').  We  have  a  similar  use  of  the  same  verb  in 
Job  xxi.   13. 

23.  The  same  theme  pursued.  Toil  shall  no  longer  end  in  the 
ruin  of  one's  hopes,  nor  shall  children  be  born  into  the  world  to 
meet  some  terrible  catastrophe.     For  calamity  substitute  '  terror. ' 

24.  God's  answer  shall  anticipate  the  prayer  of  His  faithful 
community.  From  the  exile  onwards  prayer  takes  a  relatively 
more  important  place  in  relation  to  the  ritual  of  sacrifice.  This 
new  feature  received  great  stimulus  by  the  conditions  of  exile.  See 
'Prayer'  in  Hastings'  DB.^  iv,  p.  40. 

25.  Once  more  we  have  a  borrowing.  It  is  not  easy  to  per- 
ceive any  cogency  in  Duhm's  laboured  argument  to  show  that 
while  the  earlier  part  of  this  verse  is  borrowed  from  Isa.  xi.  6-8, 
on  the  other  hand  xi.  9  is  borrowed  from  the  present  passage.  It 
is  quite  clear  that  verses  6-9  form  an  integral  unity. 

Equally  arbitrary  is  the  exclusion  of  the  clause  '  Yet  as  for  the 
serpent  dust  is  its  food,'  though  Duhm  alleges  grounds  of  metre. 
For  the  condition  of  our  O.  T.  text  shows  that  even  at  an  early 
time  confusion  entered,  and  whole  lines  were  lost ;  accordingly  a 
fragment  of  an  entire  line  need  not  surprise  us.  The  phrase  seems 
to  be  a  reminiscence  of  Gen.  iii.  14  introduced  by  the  writer  in 
reference  to  the  schismatics,  who  are  here  personified  by  the 
serpent  ^  It  breaks  into  the  calm  repose  of  the  Isaianic  citation 
as  rudely  as  Ixvi.  14  b  foil. 

^  The  LXX  preserve  the  clause  in  question. 

"^  'Eating  dust'  was  an  ordinary  expression  of  humiliation  and 
contempt.  Winckler  in  Altoriental.  Forschungeti,  iii.  p.  271, 
compares  the  expression  in  the  Tell-el-Amarna  letters,  KIB.,  vol.  v, 
122,  lines  35,  ■^6)aiabu7tu  tikalu  ipra,  '  our  enemies  shall  eat  dust,' 
which  is  parallel  to  the  O.  T.  phrase  '  lick  the  dust  *  (Ps.  Ixxii.  9 ; 
Isa.  xlix.  23;  Mic.  vii.  17,  which  affords  an  interesting  analogy  to 
the  present  passage). 


328  ISAIAH  66.  I 

66      Thus  saith  the  Lord,  The  heaven  is  my  throne,  and 
the  earth  is  my  footstool :  what  manner  of  house  will  ye 

Chap.  LXVI,  verses  1-4,  are  directed  against  the  project  of  the 
schismatics  to  erect  a  temple  of  their  own  as  a  rival  to  the  temple 
of  Zerubbabel  in  Jerusalem.  Marti  warns  us  in  his  useful  introduc- 
tory remarks  against  drawing  larger  inferences  from  this  passage 
than  it  warrants.  If  we  take  the  first  two  verses  only,  we  might 
be  disposed  to  regard  them  as  directed  against  the  erection  of  any 
temple  on  earth  to  One  whose  throne  is  heaven,  and  earth  but  the 
footstool  of  His  feet.  They  might  appear  to  be  an  anticipation  of 
the  words  of  Jesus,  who  said,  *  The  hour  cometh  when  neither  in 
this  temple  nor  in  Jerusalem  shall  ye  worship  the  Father  .  .  .  God 
is  a  spirit,  and  they  that  worship  Him  must  worship  Him  in  spirit 
and  truth'  (John  iv.  21-24)  ;  cf.  Acts  vii.  48-50,  xvii.  24.  Indeed, 
Gressmann  has  supposed  that  this  passage  (like  Ixiii.  7 — Ixiv.  12) 
should  be  placed  in  the  days  that  preceded  the  erection  of  the 
temple  by  Zerubbabel.  It  is  argued  that  we  have  here  a  protest 
against  the  proposal  to  erect  a  temple  of  which  Haggai  and  Zechariah 
were  the  enthusiastic  advocates.  But,  as  Enno  Littmann  shows  ^, 
we  altogether  misunderstand  the  passage  when  we  infer  from  the 
opening  verse  that  the  opposition  is  between  Yahweh's  true 
heavenly  abode  and  any  local  earthly  habitation.  This  is  clearly 
proved  by  noting  verses  2  and  3.  The  demonstratives  in  verse  2 
obviously  refer  not  to  heaven,  but  to  Zion,  where  God's  contrite 
and  spirit-smitten  followers  dwell,  as  contrasted  with  the  Samaritan 
sanctuary,  where  revolting  forms  of  worship  prevail.  The  mighty 
voice  of  God's  retribution  is  to  come  from  his  Zion  temple  (called 
hechal  in  verse  6)  upon  His  adversaries.  The  mention  of  the 
Levitical  priests  in  verse  21  can  only  have  meaning  when  we 
assume  that  they  are  ministers  in  Yahweh's  true  sanctuary  in 
Zion  (cf.  the  preceding  verse  20). 

1.  It  is  not  by  any  means  certain  whether  we  should  render 
with  A.  V.  'where  is  the  house,  &c,,'  as  the  interrog.  form  in  the 
original  should  be  understood  in  chap.  1.  i  ;  i  Sam.  ix.  18  ;  Job 
xxviii.  12,  20,  xxxviii.  19,  24,  or  whether  we  should  follow  R.  V. 
and  translate  '  What  manner  of  house,  &c. '  (as  in  the  LXX). 
Similarly  2  Kings  iii.  8  ;  cf.  Jonah  i.  8 ;  2  Sam.  xv.  2.  Note  the 
close  similarity  of  the  ideas  here  and  in  the  following  verse  as 
compared  with  Ivii.  15. 

The  Hebrew  word  for  rest  {nicnuhah)  is  here  used  in  the 
sense  of  *  residence  ' ;  cf.  Isa.  xi.  10  ;  Ps.  cxxxii.  8,  14  ;  i  Chron. 
xxviii.  2  ;  and  also  Num.  x.  33  ;  Zech.  ix.  i ;  Isa.  xxxii.  18.  Tlie 
schismatic  Samaritan  leaders  are  addressed  in  this  verse,  and  the 


Ueber  die  Abfassungsseit  des  Tritojesaia  (1899),  P-  47  ^^*' 


ISAIAH  66.  2,  3  529 

build  unto  me  ?  and  what  place  shall  be  my  rest?  For  all 
these  things  hath  mine  hand  made,  and  so  all  these  things 
came  to  be,  saith  the  Lord  :  but  to  this  man  will  I  look, 
even  to  him  that  is  poor  and  of  a  contrite  spirit,  and  that 
trembleth  at  my  word.  He  that  killeth  an  ox  is  as  he 
that  slayeth  a  man  ;  he  that  sacrificeth  a  lamb,  as  he  that 
breaketh  a  dog's  neck ;  he  that  offereth  an  oblation,  as  he 
that  offereth  swine's  blood ;  he  that  burneth  frankincense, 
as  he  that  blesseth  an  idol :  yea,  they  have  chosen  their 
own  ways,  and  their  soul  delighteth  in  their  abominations; 


house  which  they  are  seeking  to  build  as  God's  residence  is 
a  rival  temple  in  Samaria. 

2.  These  tMngs  do  not  refer  to  the  heavens  and  the  earth, 
as  the  latter  part  of  the  verse  clearly  proves,  but  to  God's  true 
sanctuary,  the  temple  of  Zerubbabel  where  the  contrite  in  spirit, 
v/ho  tremble  at  His  word,  are  to  be  found.  It  is  instructive  to 
compare  with  this  passage  not  only  Ivii.  15,  but  also  Ezra  ix.  4,  x.  3. 

3  describes  the  illegitimate  forms  of  cultus  which  were 
practised  among  those  who  were  hostile  to  the  Jerusalem 
sanctuary.  This  verse  is  somewhat  difficult,  and  the  text,  as  well 
as  rendering,  as  the  LXX  show,  is  by  no  means  certain.  This 
is  largely  due  to  the  obscurity  of  the  subject,  as  we  are  very 
imperfectly  informed  respecting  the  varied  types  of  cultus  which 
then  prevailed  and  to  which  allusion  is  here  made.  Probably  it 
would  be  safest  to  follow  Marti  and  regard  the  first  member  of 
the  successive  pairs  as  the  subject  and  the  second  as  the  predicate 
in  the  short  clauses  which  follow  one  another.  The  first  member 
describes  a  legitimate  offering  and  the  second  an  illegitimate. 
The  intention  of  the  writer  is  to  describe  the  syncretism  in 
worship  that  prevailed  :  *  He  who  slaughters  an  ox  (also)  smites 
a  man,'  i.  e.  participates  in  human  sacrifice,  of  which  we  find 
numerous  traces  among  the  Israelites  (Jer.  xix.  5,  xxxii.  35 ; 
Ezek.  xvi.  21,  xx.  26,  31 ;  2  Kings  xvi.  3  and  xxiii.  10).  It  was 
specially  forbidden  in  legislation  (cf.  Lev.  xviii.  21).  These 
awful  rites  of  child  sacrifice,  which  were  carried  on  in  the  vale  of 
Hinnom,  were  specially  characteristic  of  Milk  (Molech),  the  god 
of  Ammon  and  Moab.  Though  suppressed  in  the  reformation  of 
Josiah's  reign  they,  like  many  other  customs  of  primitive  Semitic 
religion,  still  persisted  (see  Introduction  toTrito-Isaiah,  p.  231  foil.). 

The  following  clause  combines  similarly  the  legitimate  sacrifice 
of  a  sheep  with  the  illegitimate  sacrifice  of  the  dog :  '■  One  who 


330  ISAIAH  66.  4,  5 

4  I  also  will  choose  their  delusions,  and  will  bring  their  fears 
upon  them;  because  when  I  called,  none  did  answer; 
when  I  spake,  they  did  not  hear :  but  they  did  that  which 
was  evil  in  mine  eyes,  and  chose  that  wherein  I  delighted 
not. 

5  Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord,  ye  that  tremble  at  his 


offers  the  bloody  sacrifice  of  a  sheep  (also)  breaks  the  neck  of 
a  dog.'  Respecting  the  mystic  piacular  sacrifice  of  the  dog  and 
also  of  swine,  see  Robertson  Smith,  RS.^,  p.  291,  and  note  above 
on  Ixv.  4.  Not  only  the  legitimate  meal-offering,  but  with  it  the 
libation  of  swine's  blood  is  presented.  Not  only  the  legitimate 
offering  of  incense',  but  the  blessing  of  the  idol  image  (here 
called  dwen  as  in  Hos.  iv.  15,  v.  8,  x.  5,  literally  '  falsity,'  or  '  evil '). 
The  last  clause  in  this  verse  should  be  connected  with  the  opening 
clause  of  the  following.  Accordingly  render  with  Duhm  and 
Cheyne,  '  As  these  have  chosen  their  own  ways '  (i.  e.  modes  of 
cultus),  &c. 

4  will  then  begin,  '  So  will  I  choose,'  &c.  For  the  rendering 
deliisions  it  would  be  better  to  substitute  'follies.'  The  word 
in  the  original  is  the  same  as  in  iii.  4  ('babes'  rendered  in  the 
note  '  wilfulness '  or  childish  caprices).  What  are  called  aboxnl- 
natious  (a  frequent  designation  of  idolatrous  rites)  in  the 
preceding  verse  are  here  called  perverse  follies.  These  'follies' 
become  transformed  into  formidable  penalties  in  the  days  of 
Divine  visitation  for  the  evils  of  faithlessness  and  schism  :  '  I  will 
bring  their  terrors  upon  them.' 

Verses  5-1 1.  There  follows  in  close  connexion  with  the  preced- 
ing verses  a  short  poem  which  Duhm  arranges  in  three  strophes  of 
six  long  lines  each.  That  they  were  composed  at  the  same  time 
and  in  reference  to  the  same  set  of  events  is  quite  obvious.  The 
same  phrase  '  tremble  at  his  word  '  occurs  in  the  opening  line  of 
this  poem  as  in  verse  2  of  the  preceding.  *  Your  brothers  that 
hate  you  '  are  the  schismatics  whose  evil  practices  are  described 
in  verses,  and  the  vengeance  on  God's  enemies  to  which  verse  6 
makes  reference  is  darkly  hinted  in  verse  4  above.     The  present 

^  The  word  for  *  burneth '  {mazktr)  is  really  a  denominative 
partic.  based  on  the  subst.  azkdrah,  which  was  a  burnt-offering 
consisting  of  meal,  oil,  and  frankincense.  This  was  characteristic  of 
the  more  elaborate  and  later  ritual  described  in  Lev.  ii.  9,  16,  v.  12, 
vi.  9  [8  Heb.]  ;  Num.  v.  26.  Respecting  the  frankincense  Qebhonah), 
cf.  note  on  Isa.  xliii,  23  above. 


ISAIAH  66.  6,  7  331 

word  :  Your  brethren  that  hate  you,  that  cast  you  out  for 
my  name's  sake,  have  said,  Let  the  Lord  be  glorified,  that 
we  may  see  your  joy ;  but  they  shall  be  ashamed.  A  6 
voice  of  tumult  from  the  city,  a  voice  from  the  temple,  a 
voice  of  the  Lord  that  rendereth  recompence  to  his 
enemies.    Before  she  travailed,  she  brought  forth  ;  before  7 

poem,  however,  is  addressed  to  the  faithful  community  in  Jeru- 
salem, while  the  preceding  is  addressed  to  (verses  i,  2)  or  refers 
to  (verses  3,  4)  the  schismatics. 

5.  Probably  the  latter  part  of  the  long  line  has  fallen  out  after 

*  your  brothers  who  have  hated  you  have  said  '  .  .  .     The  term 

*  brothers '  is  here  used,  as  often  in  Hebrew,  for  '  kinsmen.'  The 
words  which  these  '  brothers  '  use  in  driving  out  the  faithful  are 
of  course  expressions  of  mockery.  The  language  of  this  verse 
points  to  evident  scenes  of  violence  enacted  between  the 
'  brothers  '  (who  were  led  on  by  Sanballat)  and  the  returned  exiles 
from  Babylonia.  What  actually  occurred  may  be  conjectured 
from  Neh.  iv,  an  instructive  parallel.  But  an  attentive  perusal  of 
that  chapter  leads  us  to  the  conclusion  that  in  the  present  Isaiah 
passage  allusion  is  made  to  an  earlier  episode  in  which  the 
returning  exiles  were  actually  expelled  from  the  city  precincts. 
Probably  the  intervention  of  the  Persian  governor  (pehah)  obtained 
for  them  admission  and  security. 

'  But  they  shall  be  ashamed '  (i.  e.  disappointed  of  their  hopes, 
humiliated)  is  the  poet's  reassuring  word  to  the  faithful,  following 
upon  the  words  of  scorn  uttered  by  their  opponents. 

6.  The  vividness  of  the  original  is  best  expressed  by  the 
rendering, '  Hark  !  a  roar  from  the  city,  thunder^  from  the  temple, 
Yahweh's  thunder,  awarding  retribution  to  His  foes.'  The 
words  are  very  suggestive  of  a  battle  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem 
in  which  the  party  of  Sanballat  are  driven  out.  The  language 
has  an  Isaianic  ring,  especially  in  its  use  of  the  word  for  'roar' 
(s/iaoti)  ;  cf.  xvii,  12,  xxx.  30. 

Verses  7-1 1  convey  words  of  comfort  to  the  hard-pressed  and 
faithful  followers  of  Yahweh.  Reinforcements  are  coming,  and  the 
population  of  Zion  shall  immediatel}'^  receive  a  considerable  acces- 
sion. Verse  12  clearly  shows  that  this  increase  is  to  come 
from  without. 

7.  On  grounds  of  sense  and  metre  we  should  expect  that  the 

'  In  the  original  the  word  is  kSl  ('  voice  ')>  as  in  Isa.  xxx.  30  (on  which 
see  note).  The  same  word  is  previously  used  in  the  sense  '  hark  ! '  just 
as  in  Gen.  iv.  lo  ('Hark!  thy  brother's  blood  crieth  .  .  .').  See 
Gesenius-Kautzsch,  Heb.  Gram,"^^,  §  146,  i,  rem.  i. 


SS2  ISAIAH  66.  8-IO 

8  her  pain  came,  she  was  deHvered  of  a  man  child.  Who 
hath  heard  such  a  thing?  who  hath  seen  such  things? 
Shall  a  land  be  born  in  one  day?  shall  a  nation  be 
brought  forth  at  once  ?  for  as  soon  as  Zion  travailed,  she 

9  brought  forth  her  children.  Shall  I  bring  to  the  birth, 
and  not  cause  to  bring  forth  ?  saith  the  Lord  :  shall  I 
that  cause  to  bring  forth  shut  if/ie  womb  ?  saith  thy  God. 

10      Rejoice  ye  with  Jerusalem,  and  be  glad  for  her,  all  ye 

first  unusually  abbreviated  line  of  this  verse  has  lost  a  few  words. 
It  begins  very  abruptly  without  any  subject.  Fortunately  the 
repetition  of  its  phrases  at  the  close  of  the  following  verse  allows 
us  to  restore  with  some  probability,  as  follows  : — 

'  Before  [Zion]  travaileth — she  hath  brought  forth  [a  son], 
Before  pangs  come  to  her— she  hath  a  male  child  born.' 

The  language  used  in  describing  the  birth  in  the  second  line  of 
the  original  is  unusual,  probably  designed  to  express  an  unpre- 
cedented fact,  the  swift  increase  of  Zion's  future  inhabitants  in 
the  new  era  that  is  to  dawn.  This  conception  of  Zion's  prolific 
increase  of  progeny  is  a  borrowed  Deutero-Isaianic  conception  ; 
cf.  xlix.  i8,  2o,  21,  liv.  I,  2. 

8.  Not  only  the  metre  of  the  original  but  also  concord  in 
gender  renders  it  probable  that  the  word  for  '  people '  has  been 
dropped  out  before  the  word  *  land '  i.     Therefore  translate  : — 

*  Shall   the   people    of  a    land    be   begotten   in   travail — in 
one  day  ? ' 

9  continues  the  same  theme — Zion's  rapid  accession  of  popula- 
tion ;  the  immigration  of  faithful  worshippers  of  Yahweh,  the 
diaspora  which  must  now  have  been  very  considerable,  i.  e. 
scattered  Jewish  exiles  in  all  lands  within  and  surrounding 
Western  Asia  (cf.  verses  18-20). 

The  conclusion  of  this  lyric  poem  and  the  opening  verses  of 
that  which  follows  (verses  10-13)  are  strongly  Deutero-Isaianic  in 
tone  ;  cf.  xlix.  14-16,  22,  23,  li.  2,  3,  liv.  5-8. 

10.  In  place  of  Rejoice  ye  witli  Jerusalem  the  LXX  read  in 
their  text '  Rejoice,  O  Jerusalem  '  ;  and  there  were  also  other  slight 

^  In  the  original  text,  though  the  word  for  'land'  is  fern.,  the 
verb  *  shall-be-begotten-in-travail '  is  masculine.  The  insertion  of 
the  word  for  'people,'  which  is  masculine  in  Hebrew,  restores  the 
harmony  of  construction. 


ISAIAH  6(5.  II,  12  333 

that  love  her  :  rejoice  for  joy  with  her,  all  ye  that  mourn 
over  her :  that  ye  may  suck  and  be  satisfied  with  the  1 1 
breasts  of  her  consolations ;  that  ye  may  milk  out,  and 
be  delighted  with  the  abundance  of  her  glory.  For  thus  12 
saith  the  Lord,  Behold,  I  will  extend  peace  to  her  like 
a  river,  and  the  glory  of  the  nations  like  an  overflowing 
stream,   and  ye  shall  suck  thereof',  ye  shall  be  borne 

modifications  in  their  text  ^     Duhm  adopts  the  text  of  the  LXX 
in  the  opening  clause, 

11.  The  abundance  of  her  gflory  is  a  questionable  rendering, 
since  we  have  no  evidence  that  the  Hebrew  word  zis  which 
occurs  in  this  solitary  passage  in  the  O.  T.  had  the  meaning  'abun- 
dance.' Comparison  with  the  vulgar  Arabic,  as  well  as  the 
parallel  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  verse,  confirms  the  view  of  most 
commentators  (including  Ewald,  Duhm,  and  Marti)  that  it  means 
the  maternal  breast.  We  might  therefore  render  '  delight  in  her 
rich  breast.'  The  same  reflexive  form  of  the  original  *  delight ' 
(delight  oneself)  occurs  in  Ivii.  4,  Iviii.  14. 

Verses  12-17  si^e  another  poem  on  the  same  theme.  Here, 
however,  the  thoughts  of  the  writer  are  chiefly  directed  to  the 
caravans  of  Jewish  immigrants  laden  with  the  wealth  of  foreign 
lands.  Ix.  4  foil,  is  a  close  parallel.  At  the  close  of  verse  14  a 
very  different  note  is  struck,  and  the  writer  suddenly  quits  his 
inspiring  theme  and  turns  to  the  heretical  community  that  had  its 
centre  in  Samaria  whose  evil  practices  are  denounced  as  in 
Ixv.  1-7,  Ixvi.  1-4. 

12.  This  new  section  opens  with  the  familiar  formula  'Thus 
saith  Yahweh,'  which  recurs  so  often  in  the  Deutero- Isaiah  as 
well  as  in  the  Trito-Isaiah  (xlii.  5,  xliii.  i,  14,  xlv.  i,  ii,xlix.  7, 1.  r, 
Hi.  3,  Ivi.  i).  Yahweh  here  assures  the  Jewish  community  of  a 
full  tide  of  prosperity  like  an  overflowing  brook.  It  is  derived 
from  the  wealth  of  foreigners  (xlix.  22  foil.,  Ix.  5).  The  language 
here  (as  in  Ix.  4)  is  an  obvious  echo  of  the  Deutero-Isaianic  xlix. 
22.     Render : 

^  The  LXX  render,  '  Rejoice,  Jerusalem,  and  be  gathered  in  festal 
assembly  all  who  dwell  in  her;  exult  with  exultation  all  ye  that  mourn 
over  her.'  Apparently  their  Hebrew  text  was  as  follows :  . . .  dV^^T  ^noip 
.  .  .  bs  biiup  liD'ip  ?'?^''^3  (?)  ''1S1?7>  On  the  whole  this  appears  to  be 
a  more  probable  text.  Those  who  are  to  rejoice  are  the  inhabitants 
of  the  city,  and  not  those  who  lived  outside  the  borders  of  Judah. 
Of  the  latter  as  a  vast  incoming  tide  we  read  in  verses  12  foil. 


334  ISAIAH  Q6.  13-17 

13  upon  the  side,  and  shall  be  dandled  upon  the  knees.  As 
one  whom  his  mother  comforteth,  so  will  I  comfort  you ; 

14  and  ye  shall  be  comforted  in  Jerusalem.  And  ye  shall 
see  //,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice,  and  your  bones  shall 
flourish  like  the  tender  grass  :  and  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
shall  be  known  toward  his  servants,  and  he  will  have 

15  indignation  against  his  enemies.  For,  behold,  the  Lord 
will  come  with  fire,  and  his  chariots  shall  be  like  the 
whirlwind ;  to  render  his  anger  with  fury,  and  his  rebuke 

16  with  flames  of  fire.  For  by  fire  will  the  Lord  plead,  and 
by  his  sword,  with  all  flesh :  and  the  slain  of  the  Lord 

17  shall  be  many.    They  that  sanctify  themselves  and  purify 

'  Their  infant  progeny  ^  shall  be  carried  on  the  hip  (lit.  *  side ') 
— and  on  knees  shall  they  be  caressed.' 
According  to  Ix.  4  it  is  the  girls  only  who  are  carried  on  the  hip, 
while  in  the  Deutero-Isaianic  original  (xlix.  22)  the  boys  are 
carried  in  the  bosom  and  the  girls  on  the  shoulder.  The  following 
verse  as  well  as  verse  22  shows  that  it  is  the  foreigner  who 
renders  these  kindly  (yet  servile)  offices.  And  the  same  concep- 
tion evidently  underlies  the  present  passage, 

14.  The  bones  are  used  here  to  designate  the  body  generally, 
as  in  Ps.  li.  8  (10  Heb.).  These  are  to  sprout  like  young  grass, 
i.  e.  renew  their  vigour. 

15.  The  Hebrew  verb  translated  render  {hashibh)  means  really 
'award  as  retribution'  (Deut.  xxxii.  41,  43).  Read  with  LXX 
*  shall  come  as  fire '  (cf.  the  following  clause). 

16.  will  plead  ^,  i.  e.  will  conduct  his  suit,  urge  his  cause  with 
invincible  effect ;  cf.  Ezek.  xxxviii.  2a. 

17.  Once  more  we  have  a  reference  to  the  gross  rites  of 
expiation  practised  by  the  heretical  community  in  Palestine 
whereby  they  '  consecrated  themselves.'  The  expression  behind 
(or  after)  one  in  the  midst  evidently  refers  to  the  exercises  of 
these  companies  in  the  heathen  mysteries  carried  on  in  the 
gardens  (cf.  Ixv.  3),  the  '  one  in  the  midst'  being  the  leader  of  the 
company.    It  is  possible  that  scenes  of  frantic  excitement  took  place 

^  Punctuate  the  Heb.  DPpri  from  the  feminine  collective  ni7r,  and 
see  Gesenius-Kautzsch,  Heb.  Grani.'^^,  §  122,  4c. 

'  The  opening  clause  of  this  verse  in  the  LXX  runs :  '  For  with 
the  fire  of  the  Lord  shall  all  the  earth  be  consumed.'  This  has  the 
appearance  of  being  a  later  apocalyptic  variant. 


ISAIAH  66.  17  335 

themselves  to  go  unto  the  gardens,  behind  one  in  the 
midst,  eating  swine's  flesh,  and  the  abomination,  and 

like  the  dervish  movements  at  the  full-moon,  vi^hich  are  common 
among  the  village  fellahin  in  Egypt  ^  On  the  other  hand,  Marti 
would  compare  the  mystic  rites  portrayed  in  Ezek.  viii.  11,  in 
which  the  prophet  sees  in  a  chamber  of  the  sanctuary  seventy 
elders  with  Jaazaniah  son  of  Shaphan  standing  in  their  midst, 
each  with  a  censer  in  his  hand.  But  the  other  parallel  cited  by 
Marti  in  his  commentary  from  the  Apocryphal  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  II.  I,  chap.  94  (Lipsius  and  Bonnet),  is  perhaps  more 
closely  illustrative.  It  is  descriptive  of  certain  sacramental  dances. 
Probably  we  should  find  an  allusion  here  to  practices  of  this 
character  carried  on  in  the  gardens  by  moonlight  accompanied  by 
piacular  sacrifices '. 

Robertson  Smith,  RS?^  p.  293,  furnishes  no  analogy  to  this 
worship  of  the  mouse.  But  we  have  interesting  parallels  cited  by 
Pietschmann  in  his  Geschichte  der  Phonizier,  p.  228,  who  calls 
attention  to  the  name  'Akbar,  meaning  '  mouse,'  on  Phoenician 
inscriptions  ^  as  well  as  on  sculptured  stones  in  Jerusalem.  From 
these  facts  we  might  conclude  that  the  mouse  was  an  animal 
totem.  It  would  be  normally  what  was  called  an  unclean  animal 
and  sacrosanct.  As  Robertson  Smith  points  out,  the  sacrifice  of 
such  an  animal  *  is  generally  limited  to  certain  solemn  occasions, 
usually  annual  ...  In  several  cases  the  worshippers  partake  of 
the  sacred  flesh  which  at  other  times  it  would  be  impious  to 
touch '  (/?S.2,  p.  294). 

There  is  no  need  to  substitute  for  abomination  (skekes)  the 
word  'creeping  thing'  (sheres)  as  Duhm  proposes.  The  former 
is  read  by  the  LXX  in  their  text  and  in  the  parallel  passage 
Ezek.  viii.  10. 

^  Flinders  Petrie,  Ten  Years'  Digging  ifi  Egypt  (1892),  p.  171. 
'  A  professed  dervish  often  leads  the  party  .  .  .  The  people  all  stand 
in  a  circle  and  begin  repeating  Al-lah  with  a  very  strong  accent  on 
the  latter  syllable,  bowing  down  the  head  and  body  at  the  former  and 
raising  it  at  the  latter.  This  is  all  done  in  unison.  Gradually  the 
rate  quickens,  the  accent  is  stronger  and  becomes  more  of  an 
explosive  howl  .  .  .  The  excitement  is  wilder  and  hideously  wild  until 
a  horrid  creeping  comes  over  you  as  you  listen  .  ►  .  Incipient  madness 
of  the  intoxication  of  excitement  seems  poured  out  upon  them  all.' 

'  The  Kere  reads  nn«  for  inj?,  the  feminine  for  the  masculine  form, 
apparently  meaning  a  priestess  rather  than  a  goddess. 

^  Corpus  Insc.  Semit.,  I.  i,  Nos.  178,  236,  239,  344  and  395.  Cf. 
also  the  name  *Akb6r  in  Hebrew  proper  names  (Gen.  xxxvi.  38 ; 
2  Kings  xxii.  12,  14). 


336  ISAIAH  66.  iS,  19 

the  mouse ;  they  shall  come  to  an  end  together,  saith  the 

18  Lord.  For  I  k?wiv  their  works  and  their  thoughts  :  th£ 
time  Cometh,  that  I  will  gather  all  nations  and  tongues ; 

19  and  they  shall  come,  and  shall  see  my  glory.  And  I  will  set 
a  sign  among  them,  and  I  will  send  such  as  escape  of 
them  unto  the  nations,  to  Tarshish,  Pul  and  Lud,  that 

Confusion  has  evidently  crept  into  the  Hebrew  text  at  the  close 
of  this  verse  and  the  beginning  of  the  next.  A  part  of  the  con- 
clusion of  verse  17  has  been  foisted  into  the  beginning  of  verse 
18.     Accordingly  read  with  Duhm  : — 

'Their   works   and  their  devices— shall  altogether  have  an 
end,  saith  Yahweh ; 
18.  And  I  shall  come  to  gather— all  the  nations  and  tongues.' 

This  reconstruction  saves  the  passage  from  hopeless  con- 
fusion, for  which,  as  it  appears  to  the  present  writer,  no  other 
satisfactory  remedy  has  been  proposed. 

19.  This  verse  is  evidently  based  on  reminiscences  of  chap, 
xlix.  22  (cf.  Ix.  9).  The  pronoun  them  obviously  refers  to  the 
foreign  peoples.  Yahweh  will  display  His  power  before  them 
by  a  sign  or  miraculous  deed,  as  in  the  Exodus  from  Egypt  in 
the  old  days.  The  motive  underlying  this  presents  an  analogy 
to  that  which  underlies  the  prophecy  of  judgment  against  Gog  in 
Ezek.  xxxviii.  foil.  The  restoration  of  Israel  to  Jerusalem  took 
place  under  the  aegis  of  the  foreign  Persian  power.  Some  signal 
manifestation  of  the  might  of  Yahweh,  the  God  of  Israel,  before 
the  eyes  of  the  world,  was  needed.  The  *  sign '  or  manifestation 
of  Yahweh's  power  among  the  Gentiles  will  be  destructive,  and 
such  as  escape  will  be  sent  by  Him  to  proclaim  the  news  of 
Yahweh's  glory  among  foreign  peoples  who  have  never  heard  of 
it.  In  the  enumeration  of  foreign  races  it  would  be  safer  to 
follow  the  LXX  and  read  Meshech  in  place  of  that  draw  the  "bow. 
It  is  easy  to  see  how  the  mistake  arose.  The  proper  name  was 
mistaken  for  the  Hebrew  verb  '  to  draw,'  and  it  was  assumed  by 
some  scribe  that  the  word  for  *  bow '  had  been  dropped  out.^ 

*  There  is  no  need  to  add  to  Meshech  the  proper  name  Rosh 
(Ezek.  xxxviii.  i,  xxxix.  i)  with  Duhm  and  Marti.  The  enumeration 
seems  to  proceed  in  groups  of  three.  If,  as  Duhm  points  out,  the 
race-names  are  borrowed  from  Ezekiel,  who  loved  elaborate  enumera- 
tions (e.  g.  Ezek.  xxvii),  we  have  the  less  reason  to  consider  thisr: 
modest  list  to  be  an  interpolation.  The  influence  of  Ezekiel  over  the 
Trito-Isaiah  is  an  obvious  trait. 


ISx^IAH  66.  20,  21  33*^ 

draw  the  bow,  to  Tubal  and  Javan,  to  the  isles  afar  off, 
that  have  not  heard  my  fame,  neither  have  seen  my  glory ; 
and  they  shall  declare  my  glory  among  the  nations.  And  20 
they  shall  bring  all  your  brethren  out  of  all  the  nations 
for  an  offering  unto  the  Lord^  upon  horses,  and  in 
chariots,  and  in  litters,  and  upon  mules,  and  upon  swift 
beasts,  to  my  holy  mountain  Jerusalem,  saith  the  Lord, 
as  the  children  of  Israel  bring  their  offering  in  a  clean 
vessel  into  the  house  of  the  Lord.  And  of  them  also  ai 
will  I  take  for  priests  and  for  Levites,  saith  the  Lord. 

Both  Meshech  and  Tubal  are  mentioned  in  the  cuneiform 
inscriptions  (Schrader,  COT.,  i,  pp.  64-7),  and  occur  together  in 
Gen.  X.  2.  They  were  races  dweUing  east  of  Cappadocia  and 
north-east  of  Cilicia.  Javan  was  the  Semitic  name  for  the  Greek 
(properly  the  Ionian)  race  scattered  oyer  the  coastlands  (R.  V. 
*  isles')  as  well  as  islands  of  Asia  Minor  and  the  Mediterranean 
{COT.,  i,  p.  65  f.).  Tarshish  is  the  town  Tartessus  in  Spain 
(near  the  mouth  of  the  Guadalquivir),  well  known  to  Herodotus 
(i.  163),  who  was  a  contemporary  of  the  Trito-Isaiah  and  Nehemiah 
(see  vol.  i,  p.  103).  It  is  agreed  among  all  critics  that  Pfil  here 
is  a  scribal  error  for  Piit.  Pitt  appears  to  have  been  a  Libyan 
people.  So  LXX  in  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel.  See  Driver's  Genesis, 
note  on  x.  6.  Probably  we  should  regard  IiAd  here  as  a  North 
African  race  and  region  rather  than  identify  it  with  the  Lydians  of 
Asia  Minor  conquered  by  Cyrus. 

20.  Overawed  by  the  news  of  Yahweh's  overwhelming  mani- 
festation of  power,  these  peoples  hasten  to  convey  the  scattered 
representatives  of  the  Hebrew  race  dwelling  among  them  to  Zion 
as  the  offering  of  their  homage  to  His  might.  The  feminine  form 
in  Hebrew  rendered  above  'swift  beasts'  is  rightly  interpreted  in 
R.  V.  margin  'dromedaries'  (following  Ibn  'Ezra  and  Kimhi). 

21.  And  of  them  also  obviously  refers  to  the  Israelites  of  the 
Dispersion,  who  were  to  be  conveyed  by  Gentiles  to  the  homeland. 
About  this  recent  commentators  (including  Kittel,  Duhm,  and 
Marti)  are  agreed,  though  in  former  times  a  large  number  of 
authorities— including  Gesenius,  Ewald,  Delitzsch,  Orelli,  and 
Baudissin— held  that  it  was  the  converted  Gentiles  from  whom 
priests  were  to  be  chosen.  But  the  whole  context  and  spirit  of 
the  Trito-Isaiah  are  against  the  supposition  of  such  a  splendid 
xssertion  of  universalism.  It  has  been  a  matter  of  dispute  whether 
we  ought  to  read  *  for  priests  and  for  Levites '  with  LXX  and  old 
versions   and    numerous    Hebrew   MSS.    (see    Curtiss,    Levitical 


338  ISAIAH  60.  22-24 

22  For  as  the  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth,  which  I  w^ill 
make,  shall  remain  before  me,  saith  the  Lord,  so  shall 

23  your  seed  and  your  name  remain.  [And  it  shall  come  to 
pass,  that  from  one  new  moon  to  another,  and  from  one 
sabbath  to  another,  shall  all  flesh  come  to  worship  before 

24  me,  saith  the  Lord.  And  they  shall  go  forth,  and  look 
upon  the  carcases  of  the  men  that  have  transgressed 
against  me :  for  their  worm  shall  not  die,  neither  shall 

Priests,  p.  205  foil.).  At  the  time  when  the  Trito-Isaiah  wrote, 
the  Deuteronomic  system  still  held  sway  in  which  no  distinction  was 
drawn  between  the  Priests  and  Levites.  After  the  reforms 
introduced  by  Nehemiah,  when  the  system  developed  in  the 
Priestercodex  came  to  be  enforced,  this  distinction  was  maintained. 
The  insertion  of  '  and '  into  various  texts  of  this  passage  (on  which 
the  versions  were  based)  then  arose.  Render  with  Kittel,  Duhm, 
and  others  <  for  Levite-priests  \' 

22.  A  promise  of  permanence  to  Israel's  race  and  power  at  the 
dawn  of  this  new  era  worthily  concludes  the  oracles  of  the  Trito- 
Isaiah. 

23-24  are  an  appended  conclusion  by  a  later  hand  beginning 
with  the  familiar  recurring  formula  And  it  shall  come  to  pass. 
We  recognize  the  same  spirit  that  added  the  glosses  to  chap,  xlviii — 
the  same  touch  of  pessimistic  gloom  that  belongs  to  an  age  of 
decadence.  In  this  case  the  phraseology  clearly  betrays  the 
later  origin — e.g.  the  use  of  shabbdtJi  in  the  sense  of  'week,' 
which  only  belongs  to  later  Hebrew  (as  Num.  xxviii.  10;  Lev.  xxiii. 
15,  XXV.  8)  as  well  as  Aramaic  (reflected  in  Mark  xvi.  2,  9).  Also 
the  word  demon,  meaning  '  abomination  '  or  '  horror '  (abhorring" 
R.  V.)  is  quite  late,  being  found  in  Dan.  xii.  2.  Evidently  the 
ecclesiastical  system  of  the  Priestercodex  had  been  long  established, 
*  As  often  as  the  month  is  at  its  new  moon  and  the  week  returns 
at  its  sabbath.'  The  dreadful  spectacle  of  the  carcases  of  the 
wicked  amid  the  worms  and  fires  of  the  valley  of  Hinnom  %  on 
which  the  righteous  fix  their  gaze,  belongs  to  a  much  later  stadium 

^  Delete  the  preposition  which  precedes  the  word  '  I>evites '  in  our 
Hebrew   text  (i.e.  read  W'h  D^^TOb). 

'^  Ge-Hinnom,  south  and  west  of  Jerusalem,  was  in  the  eighth  and 
seventh  centuries  associated  with  the  dark  rites  of  Molech  worship  with 
its  human  sacrifices  (2  Kings  xiii.  10).  See  vol.  i,  p.  193.  In  later 
days  this  name  assumed  the  form  Ge-Henna,  a  term  used  to  designate 
the  place  of  torment  for  the  wicked. 


ISAIAH  66.  24  339 

their  fire  be  quenched ;  and  they  shall  be  an  abhorring 
unto  all  flesh.] 

of  Jewish  thought  than  that  of  the  Trito- Isaiah.  It  was  the  age  when 
Ge-Henna  as  a  place  of  torment  for  the  wicked  was  a  part  of  its 
eschatology,  in  which  '  this  accursed  valley  is  for  those  who  are 
accursed  for  ever '  (Enoch  xxvii.  a),  Cf.  Judith  xvi.  17,  Jesus  Sir. 
vii.   17. 

We  have  travelled  a  long  way  and  descended  far  below  the 
levels  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah  and  the  towering  solitary  peaks  of  the 
Servant-Poems.  We  have  to  travel  further  still  before  we  reach 
the  yet  loftier  height  of  Golgotha.  Let  the  reader  mark  the 
contrast  between  the  language  employed  towards  the  'brothers,' 
the  Samaritan  schismatics,  and  Luke  xxiii.  34  ;  cf.  Matt,  xxiii.  37, 
and  also  Matt.  viii.  11,  12.  For  in  Jesus,  the  Son  of  Man,  we  find 
the  true  fulfilment  of  the  ideal  of  the  '  Servant  of  Yahweh.' 


Z    2 


340 


APPENDIX   I 

CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE 


Date 

Egypt 

The  Jews 

Babylonia 

Persia 

556 

.  - 

Accession    of 

B,  C. 

Nabonidus. 

-Cyrus. 

550     . 



Conquest       of 
Media        and 
subsequently 
of  Lydia. 

545 

The  Deiiterolaaiah. 

538 

Isa.  xl-lv. 

Conquest  of  Babylon  by  Cyrus, 
Downfall  of  the    Neo-Baby- 
Ionian   and    establishment   of 
the  Persian  Eiipire. 

537-6 

Restoration  of  Jew- 
ish      Exiles       by 
Cyrus. 

. 

529 

Death  of  Cyrus  and  accession 
of  Cambyses. 

527-5 

Conquest 
of  Egypt 
by  Cam- 

byses. 

Isa.lxiii.7— Ixiv.  12. 

523 

Suicide  of  Cambyses. 

521 

Pseudo-Smerdis  —  Darius  I, 
son  of  Hystaspes,  begins  his 
reign. 

520 

Temple  -  rebuilding 
commenced  under 
Zerubbabel       and 
Joshua.  Prophetic 
activity  of  Haggai 
and  Zechariah, 

516 

Temple  completed. 

500 

Ionian  revolt  against  Darius. 

490 

Defeat    of    the    Persians    at 

Marathon. 

APPENDIX   I 

CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE  (continued) 


341 


Egypt 


The  Jews 


Aramaic  papyri  discovered  at 
Elephantine  (Yeb)  and  Syene 
belonging  to  Jewish  settlers  * 

(471-407  B.C.). 


Malachi  and  Ezra. 

The  Trito-Isaiah. 

Isa.  Ivi-Ixvi. 

Arrival  oiNehemiah 
at  Jerusalem. 

Walls  rebuilt.  Re- 
organization of 
cultus. 

Priesiercodex. 


Joel  prophesies. 


Persia 


Death  of  Darius  I  and  acces- 
sion of  Xerxes  I  (Kshayar- 
sha). 

Defeat  of  the  Persians  at 
Thermopylae  and  Salami's 
[Herodotus  and  Aeschylus]. 

Assassination  of  Xerxes.  Ac- 
cession of  Artaxerxes  I, 
Longimanus  (Artakshathra). 


[Socrates,  Sophocles,  Aristo- 
phanes.'] 

Death  of  Artaxerxes  L  Ac- 
cession of  Xerxes  II  {Sog- 
dianus). 

Accession  of  Darius  II 
(Nothns). 

Death  of  Darius  II  and  ac- 
cession of  Artaxerxes  II 
{Mnemon). 

[Euripides,  Plato,  Xenophon]. 

Defeat  of  Cyrus  the  Younger 
at  the  Battle  of  Cuna.xa. 
Xenophon  leads  back  the 
10,000  Greeks. 


^  Edited  by  Sachau  (Elephantine)  and  by  Cowley  and  Sayce  (Syene). 


342 


APPENDIX   II 

INSCRIPTION   ON  THE   CLAY  CYLINDER   OF  CYRUS, 
KING  OF  PERSIA  (538-529  b.  c.) 

Basedow  the  Transcription  and  Rendering  of  Prof.  Eberhard 
ScHRADBR  {KIB.,  vol.  Hi,  Part  2,   p.   120  foil.),  with  some 

suggested  CORRECTIONS  BY  ReV.   C.  H.  W.  JoHNS,  M.A. 

[Lines  9-35.  The  earlier  and  subsequent  portions  of  the 
inscription  are  seriously  mutilated.] 

9.  At  this  insolence  (?  tazimti)  the  lord  of  gods  was  very 
wrath  .  .  .  destroyed  their  wall  (?).  The  gods  which  dwelt  there 
forsook  their  dwellings  (10.)  in  anger  because  he  (Nabonidus)  had 
carried  them  to  §uanna  (Babylon).  Marduk  (Merodach)  .  .  . 
and  the  people  (11.)  of  Sumer  and  Akkad  who  resembled  corpses  (?) 
he  allowed  to  go  .  .  .  permitted  the  return  of  the  entirety  of  all 
lands  ;  .  .  .  12.  was  concerned  about  the  righteous  king  whom  he 
bore  in  his  heart,  whose  hand  he  held,  about  Cyrus  king  of 
An§an,  whose  name  he  proclaimed,  for  kingship  ;  over  the  entirety 
of  the  world  was  his  name  declared. 

13.  The  land  Kutu,  the  whole  of  the  Manda  troops,  he  (Marduk) 
subjected  to  his  (Cyrus's)  authority  ;  the  dark-headed  ones  (or 
Babylonians)   he   (Marduk)   delivered    into  his  (Cyrus's)  hands. 

14.  With  justice  and  rectitude  he  cared  for  them  (?).  Marduk, 
the  Lord,  the  protector  {tarn)  of  his  people,  looked  with 
joy    upon    his    (Cyrus's)    beneficent    deeds    and    upright    heart. 

15.  He  commanded  his  (Cyrus's)  march  to  his  own  (Marduk's) 
city  Babylon,  caused  him  to  take  the  road  to  Tintir  (Babylon). 
Like  a  friend  and  helper  he  marched  by  his  side.  16.  Whose  far- 
extended  hosts,  whose  number  like  the  waters  of  a  river,  cannot 
be  estimated  ;  who  marched  with  weapons  girded  at  his  side. 
17.  Without  battle  or  encounter  he  (Marduk)  caused  him  to  enter 
Suanna,  his  town  Babylon  he  with  trouble  spared.  Nabonidus, 
who  had  no  reverence  for  him  (Marduk)  he  (Marduk)  delivered  up 
to  his  (Cyrus's)  hand.  18.  The  inhabitants  of  Tintir  (Babylon)  alto- 
gether, all  Sumer  and  Akkad,  the  great  ones  and  the  viceroys 
abased  themselves  before  him,  kissed  his  feet,  rejoiced  in  his 
kingship.     Their  countenance  shone. 

19.  The  Lord  [i.  e.  Marduk],  who  in  assurance  that  he  brings 
the  dead  to  life,  maintains  all  amid  trouble  and  sorrow,  approached 
him  graciously.     His  name  thundered  forth  :    20.  I,  Cyrus,  king 


APPENDIX   II  343 

of  hosts,  great  king,  mighty  king,  king  of  Tintir,  king  of 
Sumer  and  Akkad,  king  of  the  four  regions ;  ai.  son  of 
Cambyses,  the  great  king,  the  king  of  Anian,  grajidson  of  Cyrus, 
the  great  king,  king  of  AnSan,  great-grandson  of  Sispis  (Tei'spes), 
the  great  king,  the  king  of  AnSan  ;  22.  the  eternal  seed  {zirti) 
of  royalty  whose  kingdom  Bel  and  Nebo  love,  whose  rule  they 
longed  for  to  their  hearts'  joy— I  made  my  entry  into  Babylon 
in  peace.  23.  I  adopted  with  joy  and  pleasure  the  royal  palace  as 
m}'  lordly  residence.  Marduk  the  great  lord  .  .  .  inhabitants  (?) 
of  Babylon. .  .  On  this  day.  .  .  (24.)  my  far-extended  armies  spread 
themselves  forth  in  Babylon  in  peace.  I  caused  all  the  [in- 
habitants of  Sumer  and]  Akkad  to  have  no  adversary.  25.  Amid 
Babylon  and  all  its  towns  I  was  ...  in  friendship  .  .  .  with  the 
inhabitants  of  Tintir.  .  .  26.  Their  wrongs  I  set  right,  put  an 
end  to  their  grievance  (sarbu).  In  order  to  execute  this  ...(?) 
Marduk,  the  great  Lord,  gave  instructions.  27.  Unto  me,  Cyrus, 
the  king  who  reveres  him,  and  Cambyses  my  son,  the  issue  of 
my  body  .  .  .  unto  my  entire  army  (28.)  he  graciously  drew 
nigh,  in  friendship  before  it  he  beneficently  .  .  .  The  whole  of  the 
kings  who  dwell  in  (royal)  chambers.  29.  Who  from  the  world 
in  its  entirety  from  the  upper  sea  to  the  lower  sea  [such  as  dwell 
inland  ?],  the  kings  of  the  land  Amurri  (Phoenicia  and  Palestine), 
the  inhabitants  of .  .  .  all  of  them  (30.)  brought  their  rich  tribute 
and  in  Suanna  (Babylon)  kissed  my  feet.  From  .  .  .  the  towns 
of  Asur  and  Istar  ...  31.  Agadi,  Agnunnak  Zamban,  Me- 
Turnu,  Durili  to  the  district  of  Kutu,  towns  on  the  Tigris 
whose  abode  from  old  time  lay  in  ruin  (padu),  (32.)  the  gods  who 
dwelt  in  them  I  brought  back  to  their  place,  caused  them  to 
inhabit  a  permanent  abode.  All  their  inhabitants  I  assembled, 
re-erected  their  dwellings.  33.  Moreover  the  gods  of  Sumer  and 
Akkad  whom  Nabunaid  (Nabonidus),  to  the  indignation  of  the 
lord  of  gods,  had  brought  into  Suanna  (Babylon)^,  at  the  com- 
mand of  Marduk  the  great  lord  (34.)  I  caused  to  dwell  in  their 
abode  in  security,  a  dwelling  acceptable  to  their  heart.  May  all 
the  gods  whom  I  have  brought  into  their  towns  (35.)  daily  offer 
intercessions  before  Bel  and  Nebo  during  the  length  of  my  days, 
may  they  proclaim  the  utterance  of  my  favour,  and  unto  Marduk, 
my  lord,  may  they  declare  how  Cyrus  the  king  who  reveres 
thee  and  Cambyses  his  son  .  .  . 

*  This   line    33    clearly  explains   the    allusion    to   the   policy   of 
Nabonidus  in  the  defective  lines  9,  10  above. 


ADDITIONS  AND  CORRECTIONS 

Vol.  I.  pp.  27,  316.  'Rahab  sit  still'  is  the  conventional 
rendering  of  the  conventional  Massoretic  text,  which  Hensler 
reads  '  Rahab  the  vanquished  '  {Rahab  hamnioshbdth).  This  is 
accepted  by  Gunkel,  Budde,  and  Cheyne,  and  is  probably  correct. 

p.  138,  last  line,  for  '  allied  kings '  read  '  Assyrian  king.' 

p.  246,  Isa.  xxi.  II.  The  ancient  Greeks  varied  between  three 
and  five  watches.  See  VoUbrecht  on  Xenophon's  Anabasis 
(Introd.)  who  speaks  of  three,  and  Eurip.,  Rhesus.  543  which 
alludes  to  a  /i/th  watch. 

p.  265.  Isa.  xxiii.  15  foil.  The  Phoenicians  of  Tyre  were 
apparently  celebrated  for  their  music  and  singing.  Comp.  the 
a.pxaiofji.e\i(r})(nSa}vocl)pvvixvpaTa  of  Aristophanes  {Wasps  220)  and 
Ezek.  xxvi.  13. 

p.  347,  line  4  from  below.  Isa.  li.  11  is  a  late  insertion,  and  is 
derived  from  Isa.  xxxv.  10,  where  metre  as  well  as  sense  show  it 
to  have  been  original. 

Vol.  II,  p.  243  foil.  The  hand  figured  on  Carthaginian  votive 
stones  is  capable  of  explanation  as  having  a  magical  origin.  It 
served  as  a  prophylactic  to  the  depredator  or  the  evil  eye. 
According  to  Westermarck  (art.  on  '  Magic  Origin  of  Moorish 
Designs '  in  Journal  of  the  Anthropological  Institute,  xxxiv 
(1904),  p.  211  foil.).  'If  a  Moor  suspects  some  one  of  looking 
at  him  with  an  evil  eye  ...  he  stretches  out  the  five  fingers 
of  the  right  hand  towards  the  eyes  of  the  other  and  says  : 
hamsa  'ala  'ainak  "five  in  your  eye"  !  The  hand  is  supposed  to 
have  the  power  of  throwing  back  on  the  other  the  evil  influence.' 
A  missionary  from  Morocco  has  confirmed  to  the  present  writer 
what  Westermarck  has  alleged.  Inside  or  on  the  door  of  the  shop 
or  house,  often  inside  the  threshold,  may  constantly  be  seen  the 
blackened  figure  of  a  hand  as  a  prophylactic.  Dr.  Haddon  states 
that  this  magic  tradition  is  to  be  found  throughout  the  Mediter- 
ranean littoral.  It  seems  to  be  based  on  the  conception  of  a 
power  or  numen  residing  in  the  hand,  indicated  in  the  phrase 
n'  bvh  \i3i  in  Gen.  xxxi.  29,  '  it  is  in  the  power  of  my  hand' ;  cf. 
Prov.'  iii.  27  ;  Mic.  ii.  i  ;  Deut.  xxviii.  32.  See  Brockelmann  in 
ZATW.,  1906.  p.  29  foil. 

Respecting  l»  in  the  sense  of  '  memorial,'  '  monument,'  see 
Gottheil,  ibid.  p.  277  f. 


INDEX 


Aben  'Ezra :  see  Ibn  'Ezra. 

Abraham,  21,  69,  312. 

Abu  Habba,  76. 

Ahab,  253. 

Ahava,  11. 

Ahaz,  29. 

Ahriman  (Angromainyu),  121, 
122. 

Ahura-mazda  (Aurmazd),  121. 

Amasis,  10. 

Amon,  4. 

Amos,  77,  180. 

Angelology,  299. 

Animals,  98  ;  taboo  with  sacro- 
sanct flesh,  319  f. 

Anoint,  290. 

Anshan  (Anzan),  61. 

Antelope,  184. 

Antimony  (Stibium),  Sulphuret 
of,  214. 

Aramaic  papyri,  161,  228f.,  263. 

Aristophanes,  344. 

Arms,  metaphorical  use  of,  277. 

Artaxerxes  Ochus,  307. 

Ariichak,  267  (R.V,  'healing'). 

Assouan  {see  Syene). 

Assyria,  3,  4,  187,  188,  216. 

Astyages,  61,  65. 

A§urbanipal,  4,  7. 

Baalzebub,  78. 

Babylon,  Babylonia,  passim. 

Bacher,  104. 

Baentsch,  58,  62. 

bard,  *  create,'  82. 

Bar  Cochba,  45. 

Barton,  167. 

Bathgen,  252  n. 

Baudissin,  337. 


Bel  (Marduk),  33, 108  :  see  Mar- 

duk. 
Bennett,  21,  128,  179,  282. 
Berosh,  75. 
Bertholet,  195. 
Beth  essentiae,  55,  146. 
Be'Ulah,  297  f. 
Black  obelisk  (Shalmaneser  II\ 

183. 
Book  of  the  Covenant,  319. 
Borsippa,  52,  131. 
Bosheth,  name  for  deity,  255. 
Bousset,  42,  197  n.,  209. 
Bowl  {kos),  34. 
Bozrah,  302  f.. 
Budde,  136,  171,  183,  184,  189, 

199,  205,  306,  308  n. 

Calamus,  see  Sweet-cane, 
Cambyses,  229,  340,  343. 
Carbuncles,  215,  285  n. 
Casiphia,  11. 
Casus  pendens,  113. 
Chantepie  de  la  Saussaye,  77, 

121. 
Chemosh,  77. 
Cheyne,  passim. 
China,     160    (identified     with 

Sinim)  :  see  Syene. 
Clericus,  55. 
Clothing,  metaphorical  use  of, 

277. 
Contract-tablets,  217. 
Cook,  Stanley,  74. 
Cornill,  12,  19,  189,  230,  269  n. 
Cosmogony,  57  f.,  60  f.,  179. 
Covenant-people,  83. 
Creation  story      (Babylonian), 

33»i78f. 


346 


ISAIAH  (40-66) 


Croesus,  6i,  119. 

Curtiss,  S.  Ives,  231  f.,  337. 

Cyrus,   16,  17,  ai,  28,  30,   31, 

3a,  49,  52,  6r,  65,  78  f.,  108, 

115  f.,   14a,   148  f.,  15a,   187, 

194,  276,  342  f. 
Cyrus-cylinder  (clay  cylinder), 

33,  118,  119  f.,  328,  343  f. 
Cyrus-NabonidusChronicle,  1 16. 

Dagon,  131. 

Dalman,  153. 

Daniel,  Book  of,  io6. 

Darius    Hystaspis,     121,    330, 

340. 
Darius  II  (Nothus),  229,  341. 
David,  15. 
Deeds,  217. 
Delitzsch,   Franz,    55,  60,    64, 

69,   82,   loa,   164,   201,   203, 

213,  252,  267,  290,  309. 
Delitzsch,  Fried.,  17a. 
Demon,  78. 
Deuteronomy,     Deuteronomic, 

5,  89,  99,  235  f.,  343. 
Deutero-Zechariah,  151. 
De  Wette,  252. 
Diaspora,  43,  280. 
Dillmann,  ar,  96,  157,  164,  300. 
Divorce,  writ  of,  168. 
Doderlein,  254  n.,  aSx  n. 
Door-posts,  253. 
Dor,  204. 

Drink-offering,  252. 
Driver,  35,  134,  189,  218,  228, 

233  f.,  252  n.,  259,  a62,  263, 

267,  337. 
Dromedaries,  337. 
Dualism  (Persian),  121. 
Duhm,  passim. 
Dust-eating,  as  a  phrase,  327. 

Edersheim,  153. 
Edom,  234,  301-5. 
Eerdmanns,  226  n. 
Egypt,   I,   ID,  a8,  52,  93,   97, 
150,  160  f.,  i79f.,  187,  340  f.     , 


Eichhorn,  30,  64,  280. 

El,  58,  82. 

Eleazar,  195. 

Elephantine,  228  f.  (Yeb^. 

Elohim,  58,  202. 

Enoch  (Book  of),  41  f.,  325. 

Enosh  :   see  'Man.' 

Ephah,  282. 

Ephod,  no, 

Ephraim,  loa. 

Erman,  52. 

Esarhaddon,  4. 

Eschatology        (in       Deutero- 

Isaiah),  39. 
Ethiopia,  28,  92,  93,  125  f. 
Ewald,  31  n,  51,  55,  64,  66,  69, 

83,  86,  96,  126,  128,  185,  201, 

215,  216,  246,  252,  309,  311, 

315  n.,  337. 
Ezekiel,  12,  13-17,  25,  69,  138, 

160,  169,  183,  190,  231,  236  f., 

254  f.,  321. 
Ezra,  242,  246,  258,  300. 

Face  of  Baal,  272. 
False  prophets,  139. 
Fasts,  263,  265  n. 
Flint,  172. 

Forgiveness,  38,  102. 
Fortune  :  see  Gad. 
Frankincense,  32,  lor,  282. 
Friedlander,  M,,  43,  46. 

Gad,  323. 

Ganneau,  Clermont,  232. 
Gardens  in  Babylonia,  176. 
Ge-Hinn6m    (Ge-Henna),  252, 

338. 
Genitive,  epexegetic,  55. 
Gentiles,  194,  199. 
Ger,  43. 
Gesenms,   30,    51,  60,   64,  95, 

103,  253,  281,  337. 
Giesebrecht,  12,  24,  27,  84,  154, 

155,  158,  181,  193,  197,  199, 

203  f.,  ao6f. 
Gilgamesh  epic,  loi. 


INDEX 


347 


Glory  of  Yahweh,  278  n. 

Gnomic  Perfect,  262. 

God    (ideas     of)    in     Deutero- 

Isaiah,  36  f. 
Goel,  72,  279. 
Gog,  197  n. 

Gratz,  72,  85,  215,  285. 
Gressmann,  52,  77,  134,  197  n., 

210,  276  n.,  307. 
Gunkel,  21,  52,  95,  128. 

Haddon,  344. 
Hades  {Sheof),  114. 
Haggai,  21,  125,  225,  229  f. 
Hand   =    memorial,      243    f.  ; 
=  phallus  (?),  254  ;  in  magic, 

344- 
Hasidint^  41,  249  {Hesed). 
Hengstenberg,  99,  103,  290. 
Henotheism,  77. 
Hephes,  in  sense  of  'occupation,' 

270. 
Hephsibah,  297  f. 
Herodotus,  119. 
Hezekiah,  4. 
Hillei  45. 
Hitzig,  51,  60,  64,  95,  114,  126, 

156,  204,  215,  252,  309. 
Hofmann,  193  n. 
Holy    (Holiness),    61  ;      'holy 

city,'  143,  259. 
Holzinger,  21. 
Hommel,  76. 
Horace,  171, 
Hosea,  102,  321. 
Hosts,  62,  144,  299  {Sebdoth). 
Houbigant,  103,  105. 
Hypostasis,  271. 

Ibn  'Ezra,  96,  128,  137,  193, 
252,  281,  294,  296,  309. 

Idols,  idolatry,  106,  no,  144. 

Immanuel,  5,  15. 

Immortality,  196. 

Inauguration  to  prophetic  call- 
ing, 153- 

Irrigation,  32, 


Isaiah  (of  Jerusalem),  3  f.,  102, 

141,  216. 
Ishtar  (Utar),  6,  7,  138. 
Israel,   God's   relation  to,  38  f. 
Izates,  44. 

Jacob,  102. 

Jastrow,  116, 141,  20a  n. 

Javan,  337. 

Jehoahaz  (Shallum),  5. 

Jehoiachin,  26. 

Jehoiakim,  8. 

Jensen,  101,  320. 

Jeremiah,  5-9,  26,  51,  102,  138, 

161,  218,  237,  284,  325. 
Jeremias,  58,  62,  loi,  119,  176. 
Jerome,  60,  65. 
Jerusalem,  New,  279  f. 
Jeshurun,  104. 
Jezebel,  214. 
Job,  20,  41. 
Johns,  12,  217,  344. 
Jonah,  41. 
Josephus,  44. 
Joshua,  125. 
Josiah,  5,  329. 
Jubilees,  Book  of,  326. 
Judgment,  242. 

Kanu :  see  Sweet-cane. 
Kautzsch,  124. 
Kebar,  11. 
Kedar,  86,  283. 
Kennedy,  217. 
Kert,  187,  289,  309. 
kethibh,  187,  289,  309. 
Ketoreth,  loi. 
Kimhi,  65,  193,  280,  296. 
Kinah  (elegiac)  metre,  53, 54, 71, 
'  115,  136,  171,  183,  295,  297. 
Kingu,  33. 
Kittel,    32,  51,    80,    108,    112, 

117,  143,  164,  215,  311,  337. 
Klostermann,  85,  103,  112,  145, 

156,  214  n.,  285,  311. 
Knobel,  51,  204. 
'  Know,'  in  Hebrew,  262, 


348 


ISAIAH  (40-66) 


Kohl,  214. 

Koppe,  30,  280. 

Kosters,  31,  125,  195,  225  n., 

27611. 
Kuenen,  225,  245. 

Lagarde,  59  n.,  302,  303. 
Lamentations    (of    Jeremiah), 

265  n. 
Larsa,  76. 
Lebh  ('heart')  properly  mind 

of  man,  56. 
Lebhonah  :  see  Frankincense. 
Lehmann,  121. 
Levi,  20  ;  Levites,  337  f. 
Lidzbarski,  323. 
Littmann,    Enno,    236  f.,    254, 

256,  276  n,  302,  307  f. 
Lofthouse,  13. 
Lowth,    30,    53,   64,    86,     114, 

137,  184,  185,  207,  213,  252, 

277,  281. 
Lud,  337. 
Luther,  204,  309.  . 

Magic,   109,   140,    250 ;    magic 

broth,  319. 
Malachi,  21,  225. 
Man  (in  his  limitation)  =^;?os/?, 

180,  242. 
Manasseh,  4,  319. 
Marduk    (Merodach),    16,     33, 

52,  95,  131,  148,  179)  228. 
Marti,  passim. 
Me'il,  '  tunic,'  295. 
Memorial,  253. 
Mem'  (Manat),  323. 
Mesha,  stone  of,  132. 
Meshech,  336  f. 
Messiah,  Messianic  expectation, 

218  ;  absence  in  Trito-Isaiah, 

235,  279,  291. 
Meyer,  ir,  124,  125,  227. 
Micaiah,  103. 
Michaelis,  60. 
Milk,  217. 
Minhah,  100,  252  f. 


Mishpdt,  81,  89. 

Moab,  77,  329. 

Mohar,  168, 

Moloch  (Molech)^  252,  255. 

Monotheism,  77.   . 

Moon-god  (5m),  138. 

Moore,  164. 

Morag,  73.  - 

Mordtmann,  168. 

Mosd,  74  :  see  Water-channel. 

Moses,  153,  306,  310  f. 

Moth,  177  f. 

Mouse,  320,  335. 

Muhammad,  69. 

Nabonidus  (Nabunaid),  33,  76. 

Nabopolassar,  132. 

Nagelsbach,  102,  290. 

Nahum,  189. 

Name,  244. 

Namtar,  202, 

Nebaioth,  282,  283. 

Nebo,  16,  76,  108, 131,  138,  148. 

Nebuchadrezzar-  (Nebuchad- 
nezzar"), II,  16,  76,  19T,  211, 
285,  308. 

Nebuzaradan,  103. 

Nehemiah,  125,  171,  246,  258, 
259>  269,  279,  300,  308,  316, 
338. 

Nergal,  138. 

New  Covenant,  8,  83,  218. 

Nineveh,  139. 

Niph'al  tolerativum,  203  n., 
219  n.,  318  n. 

Nowack,  189. 

'  Nursing  father'  :  see  Omen. 

Oak  (terebinth),  251  f. 

Oholibah,  183. 

Oil  of  jo}',  292. 

dmen,  '  nursing  father,'  165. 

Oort,  53,  72,  85,  94,  103,  112, 

156,  174,  185,  281,  311. 
Orelli,  96,  290,  296,  337. 
Orcu  {en'nu  Assyr.)/  fir,"pine,' 


INDEX 


349 


Osiris,  355. 

Ottley,  157,  175,  186,  208. 

Paul,  St.,  45,  172. 

Peake,  14,  41,  199,  206. 

Pe'al'al  form,  291  n. 

Peniel  (Penuel),  272. 

Persia,  17,  286  n.,  299, 

Pesel,  no. 

Petrie,  Flinders,  335  n. 

Phallus,  254. 

Pharaoh,  312. 

Pharaoh  Apries  (Hophra' ;,  10. 

Pharaoh  Necho,  5. 

Philo,  44. 

Pillar,  252.:  

Plucking  the  hair,  171. 
Post,  178.    - 
Prayer,  244  f.,  327. 
Premundane  existence,  153. 
Proselytes,  42,  241  f. 
Ptolemy  Soter,  307. 
Ptikh,  214. 
Pul,  337. 
Put,  337- 

Rahab,  178  f. 

Rashi,  65,  109,  128,  293. 

Red  Sea,  180. 

Reshpa,  78. 

ResuiTection  of  race,  196. 

Revelation,  Book  of,  106. 

Riehm,  178. 

Righteousness,   37,   79   {sedek, 

sedakah),  122,  124, 136.  175  f., 

216,  342,  249,  257. 
Rosenmiiller,  29  f,,  65.  69.  82. 

95,  193,  203,  267. 
Rothstein,  229  n.,  308 
Riiah  (Spirit),  56, 

Saadiah,  137,  162,  281,  293. 
Saba,  50  (Sabeans),  125. 
Sabbath,  232,  241  f.,  244,  269  ; 

-week,  338. 
Sachau,  100,  229. 
Sackcloth,  170. 


Sagan,  79. 

Samaritans,      250  f.,;     .258  f. .; 

Samaria,  297  ;   schism,  317  f. 
Sanballat,  331. 
Sargon,  93. 
Schian,  195  n. 
Schrader,  passtnt. 
Schiirer,  42. 
Schwally,  139, 
Seba,  92. 

Sebdoth  ;  5^^ 'Hosts.'.      .    . 
Seeker,  143,  185,  268. 
Seetzen,  106.        ... 
Sellin,  26.  .  . 

Sennacherib,  66,  87,.  132. 
Servant  of  Yahweh,  18-29. 
Servant-poems,  iQ-j2%  36,  8of,, 

152 f.,  170 f.,  192-210,  238:.  - 
Shallum  :  see  Jehoahaz.-     ... 

Shammai,  45^  

Sharon,  plain  of,  322.. 
Sheba,  92,  283. 
Sheol :  see  Hades. 
Shepherd  =  King,  117,  248. 
Sibyl,  Jewish,  44. 
Siloam-inscription,.74.       ..    . 
Simon  ben  Gamaliel,  45. 
Sippar,  76. 
Skinner,  37  f.,  106. 
Slave,    Slavery,   12  (slave- girl, 

137)7  169. 
Smith,  G.  Adam,  37,  125,  217, 

227,  230,  307  n. 
Smith,    Robertson,     105,    210, 

320,  321,  330,  335. 
Soothsaying,  116, 128,  141,  250. 
Stade,  276  n,,  293. 
Star-worship,  319. 
Stier,  193  n. 
Stone-symbol,  252. 
Strauss-Torney,  160. 
Style  of  Deutero-Isaiah,   35  f. ; 

of  Trito-Isaiah,  235  f. 
Sun  {Shamash),  138. 
Sweet-cane  (calamus),  loi. 
Swine,  320. 
Syene,  92,  160  f. 


S50 


ISAIAH  (40-66) 


Tallquist,  33. 

Tanit,  272. 

Tarshish,  337. 

Tell  Abib,  II. 

Tell-el-Amarna      tablets,      34, 

1x7,  166. 
Temple  of   Sjlomon,  3x3  ;    of 

Zerubbabel,  316. 
Temple-vessels,  182  f. 
Terebinth    confused    in    Heb. 

with  *  God,'  252. 
Tiamat,  33,  178,  179. 
Tierce-measure,  56. 
Tiglath-Pileser  III,  92. 
Tt'net'dae,  177. 
Tohti,  57  (.,  127. 
Torah,  81,  89. 
Toshdb,  43. 
Tree -cultivation,  iii. 
Trito-Isaiah,  30,  143,  149,  223 ; 

and  thereafter,  passim. 
Tubal,  337. 


Umbreit,  57. 

Unclean,  Uncleanness,  of  land, 


99. 

Universalism,  39  f 
Ur,  76. 


Vicarious  sufiering,  209. 
Vitringa,  55,  57,  86,  204. 

Walls,  named,  288. 

Water-channel,  32,74, 105,  268. 

Way,  as  ritual  term,  262. 

Weber,  209  f. 

Weir,  a68. 

Wellhausen,    117  f.,    124,    125, 

214. 
Westermarck,  344. 
Wetzstein,  303. 
Wife-purchase,  168. 
Wildeboer,  226  n. 
Willow,  105. 
Winckler,  26,  166,  327. 

Xenophon,  119,  341,  344. 

Yahweh  as   judge   (ShOphet), 

196. 
Yeb,  229. 

Zebhahy  253. 

Zechariah,  125,  225,  226,  229  f. 

Zephaniah,  139. 

Zerubbabel,   26,  29,    125,  218, 

238,  279  ;  temple  of,  313. 
Zimmern,  33,  101,  202  n. 


OXFORD ;    HORACE  HART 
PRINTER   TO    THE   UNIVERSITY 


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